Method and apparatus for forming nano-particles
AssigneeQuantumsphere, Inc.
InventorRay Douglas Carpenter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Nano-scale particles of materials can be produced by vaporizing material and allowing the material to flow in a non-violently turbulent manner into thermal communication with a cooling fluid, thereby forming small particles of the material that can be in the nano-scale size range. A raw material feeder can be configured to feed raw material toward a heater which vaporizes the raw material. The feeder can include a metering device for controlling the flow of raw material toward the heater. A gas source can also be used to cause gas to flow through a portion of the raw material feeder along with the raw material.
Claims10
A method of producing nano-scale particles comprising:
- feeding a granular raw material through a wall of a chamber into contact with a heater device, wherein feeding comprises guiding the granular raw material along a feeder device extending through an upper wall of the chamber;
- vaporizing the granular raw material with the heater device;
- allowing vapor of the raw material to rise from the heater device;
- and
- injecting cooling gas into thermal communication with the flow of vaporized raw material, wherein injecting comprises directing the gas generally parallel to and at a velocity that is approximately the same as a velocity of the raw material vapor.
A method of producing nano-scale particles comprising:
- vaporizing a granular raw material with a heater device;
- allowing vapor of the raw material to rise from the heater device;
- injecting cooling gas into thermal communication with the flow of vaporized raw material;
- and
- dislodging nano-scale particles from an inner surface of a chamber in which the heater device is disposed.
A method of producing nano-scale particles comprising the steps of:
- vaporizing a granular raw material with a heater device, wherein vaporizing comprises heating the granular raw material with a plurality of heating devices, each of which extends generally radially outwardly from a central area of a chamber,
- allowing vapor of the raw material to rise from the heater device;
- and
- injecting cooling gas into thermal communication with the flow of vaporized raw material.
A method of producing nano-scale particles comprising the steps of:
- feeding a granular raw material into a chamber in which a heater device is disposed using a plurality of granular material feeding devices;
- vaporizing the granular raw material with the heater device;
- allowing vapor of the raw material to rise from the heater device;
- and
- injecting cooling gas into thermal communication with the flow of vaporized raw material.
A method of producing nano-scale particles comprising the steps of:
- maintaining a temperature of a heating device at a first temperature sufficient to vaporize a raw material;
- vaporizing a raw material with the heater device;
- reducing a temperature of the heating device to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature;
- feeding additional raw material to the heater device;
- and
- raising the temperature of the heater device to the first temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.