# US 8,784,520 B2 · Methods of functionalizing microscale diamond particles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,784,520 B2 - Document ID: US8784520B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/174,031 - Filed: 2011-06-30 - Published: 2013-01-03 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-30 - Assignees: Baker Hughes Incorporated - Applicants: Soma Chakraborty; Gaurav Agrawal - Inventors: Soma Chakraborty; Gaurav Agrawal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784520B2 ## CPC - B24D 99/005: {Segments of abrasive wheels} - B01J 3/062: {characterised by the composition of the materials to be processed} - B24D 3/08: for close-grained structure, e.g. using metal with low melting point - B24D 18/0009: {using moulds or presses} - C01B 32/28: After-treatment, e.g. purification, irradiation, separation or recovery - C04B 35/532: containing a carbonisable binder - C04B 35/6264: {Mixing media, e.g. organic solvents} - C04B 35/62645: {Thermal treatment of powders or mixtures thereof other than sintering} - C04B 35/6265: {involving reduction or oxidation} - C04B 35/6268: {characterised by the applied pressure or type of atmosphere, e.g. in vacuum, hydrogen or a specific oxygen pressure} - C04B 35/62802: {Powder coating materials} - C04B 35/62884: {by gas phase techniques} - C04B 35/6325: {based on organo-metallic compounds} - C04B 35/634: Polymers (C04B35/636 takes precedence) - C04B 35/636: Polysaccharides or derivatives thereof - C04B 35/645: Pressure sintering - C22C 26/00: Alloys containing diamond {or cubic or wurtzitic boron nitride, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes} - B01J 2203/062: Diamond - B01J 2203/0655: Diamond - B01J 2203/0685: Crystal sintering - C04B 2235/427: Diamond - C04B 2235/48: Organic compounds becoming part of a ceramic after heat treatment, e.g. carbonising phenol resins - C04B 2235/5436: micrometer sized, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron - C04B 2235/5445: submicron sized, i.e. from 0,1 to 1 micron - C04B 2235/5454: nanometer sized, i.e. below 100 nm - C04B 2235/5472: Bimodal, multi-modal or multi-fraction - C22C 2204/00: End product comprising different layers, coatings or parts of cermet - B24D: TOOLS FOR GRINDING, BUFFING OR SHARPENING (abrading-bodies specially designed for tumbling apparatus, e.g. abrading-balls B24B31/14; honing tools B24B33/08; lapping tools B24B37/11) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) ## Abstract Methods of treating a plurality of particles involve functionalizing a plurality of microscale diamond particles by covalently bonding one or more molecular groups selected from OH functional groups, —COOH functional groups, —R—COOH functional groups, wherein R includes alkyls, -Ph-COOH functional groups, wherein Ph includes phenolics, polymers, oligomers, monomers, glycols, sugars, ionic functional groups, metallic functional groups, and organo-metallic functional groups to outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles. A stability of the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in dispersion is increased as compared to a plurality of microscale diamond particles that has not been functionalized. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of treating a plurality of particles, comprising: graphitizing outer surfaces of a plurality of microscale diamond particles; functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles after graphitizing the outer surfaces of the plurality of microscale diamond particles by covalently bonding one or more molecular groups selected from the group consisting of —OH functional groups, —COOH functional groups, —R—COOH functional groups, wherein R comprises alkyls, -Ph-COOH functional groups, wherein Ph comprises phenolics, polymers, oligomers, monomers, glycols, sugars, ionic functional groups, metallic functional groups, and organo-metallic functional groups to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles; and increasing a stability of the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in dispersion as compared to a plurality of microscale diamond particles that has not been functionalized. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the stability of the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in dispersion as compared to a plurality of microscale diamond particles that has not been functionalized comprises increasing the aqueous stability of the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in dispersion as compared to a plurality of microscale diamond particles that has not been functionalized. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles comprises covalently bonding —OH functional groups to the outer surfaces of at least some diamond particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles by reacting the plurality of microscale diamond particles with a reducing agent. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein reacting the plurality of microscale diamond particles with a reducing agent comprises reacting the plurality of microscale diamond particles with at least one of borane and lithium aluminum hydride. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein reacting the plurality of microscale diamond particles with a reducing agent comprises reacting the at least one diamond particle with the reducing agent at between 80° C. and 100° C. at atmospheric pressure for about 12 hours. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of microscale particles comprises at least one agglomeration of microscale particles before functionalizing occurs and further comprising: deagglomerating the plurality of microscale diamond particles before functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles; and covalently bonding at least one of -halides, —COOH, and —NH2 groups to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles before functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the acts of deagglomerating the plurality of microscale diamond particles and covalently bonding at least one of -halides, —COOH, and —NH2 groups to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles comprise fluorinating a plurality of microscale diamond particles comprising at least one agglomeration of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles comprises covalently bonding glycol to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale particles by reacting the at least one of -halides, —COOH, and —NH2 groups covalently bonded to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles with glycol. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein reacting the at least one of -halides, —COOH, and —NH2 groups covalently bonded to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles with glycol comprises reacting the at least one of -halides, —COOH, and —NH2 groups covalently bonded to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles with glycol at between 100° C. and 200° C. at atmospheric pressure for between 4 hours and 12 hours. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein graphitizing the outer surfaces of the plurality of microscale diamond particles comprises exposing the plurality of microscale diamond particles to a temperature of about 1,400° C. or greater in a vacuum or non-oxidizing atmosphere. ### Claim 11 A method of forming a suspension, comprising: graphitizing outer surfaces of a plurality of microscale diamond particles; functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles after graphitizing the outer surfaces of the plurality of microscale diamond particles by covalently bonding one or more molecular groups selected from the group consisting of —OH functional groups, —COOH functional groups, —R—COOH functional groups, wherein R comprises alkyls, -Ph-COOH functional groups, wherein Ph comprises phenolics, polymers, oligomers, monomers, glycols, sugars, ionic functional groups, metallic functional groups, and organo-metallic functional groups to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles; and dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in a fluid or gel continuous phase material. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in the fluid or gel continuous phase material comprises forming hydrogen bonds with at least one of the molecular groups covalently bonded to the outer surface of at least some particles of the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles by dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale particles in at least one of water, aqueous solutions having a pH of between 2 and 10, and water miscible organic solvents. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: treating the outer surfaces of the plurality of microscale particles with a surfactant before dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale particles in the fluid or gel continuous phase material. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: dispersing at least one of a plurality of sub-micron sized diamond particles and a plurality of diamond nanoparticles in the fluid or gel continuous phase material. ### Claim 15 A method of forming an abrasive article, comprising: graphitizing outer surfaces of a plurality of microscale diamond particles; functionalizing the plurality of microscale diamond particles after graphitizing the outer surfaces of the plurality of microscale diamond particles by covalently bonding one or more molecular groups selected from the group consisting of —OH functional groups, —COOH functional groups, —R—COOH functional groups, wherein R comprises alkyls, -Ph-COOH functional groups, wherein Ph comprises phenolics, polymers, oligomers, monomers, glycols, sugars, ionic functional groups, metallic functional groups, and organo-metallic functional groups to the outer surfaces of at least some particles of the plurality of microscale diamond particles; and incorporating the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles into an abrasive article. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of forming an abrasive article of claim 15, further comprising: dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in a fluid or gel continuous phase material. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of forming an abrasive article of claim 15, wherein incorporating the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles into the abrasive article comprises dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in a solid continuous phase material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of forming an abrasive article of claim 17, wherein dispersing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles in the solid continuous phase material comprises infiltrating the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles with a metal matrix material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of forming an abrasive article of claim 15, wherein incorporating the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles into the abrasive article comprises forming a polycrystalline diamond table attached to an end of a substrate by disposing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles adjacent the end of the substrate and sintering the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein sintering the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles comprises subjecting the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles and the substrate to an HTHP process, comprising: exposing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles and the substrate to a temperature of at least 1350° C.; and pressing the functionalized plurality of microscale diamond particles and the substrate with a pressure of at least 5.0 GPa.