Methods for Producing Metal Powders
AssigneeNanoscale Powders LLC
InventorsDavid Henderson, Andrew Matheson, Richard Van Lieshout, Donald Finnerty, John W. Koenitzer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for producing a metal powder includes maintaining molten reducing metal in a sealed reaction vessel that is free of added oxygen and water, establishing a vortex in the molten reducing metal, introducing a metal halide into the vortex so that the molten reducing metal is in a stoichiometric excess to the metal halide, thereby producing metal particles and salt, removing unreacted reducing metal, removing the salt, and recovering the metal powder. The molten reducing metal can be a Group I metal, a Group II metal, or aluminum.
Claims5
1-26. (canceled)
A process for the phase separation of excess molten reducing metal reductant from a vortex created mixture of a metal powder and a salt, wherein a bakeout vessel containing the mixture is heated to a temperature above the melting point of the salt in the mixture, thereby forming a salt bath phase, which includes the metal powder, and a separate molten reducing metal phase, followed by separation of the molten reducing metal phase from the bakeout vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.