Alloy Ribbon Phase Separation for High-Purity Ultrafine Powders

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for preparing ultrafine powder materials face challenges such as low yield, high cost, complex processes, difficulty in grading, and impurity control, particularly oxygen content, leading to performance limitations.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the solidification of an initial alloy melt into an alloy ribbon with a matrix and dispersed particle phase, where impurities are redistributed and enriched in the matrix phase, allowing for the separation and collection of a high-purity dispersed particle phase as the target powder material.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If liquid phase method is used to prepare ultrafine powder materials, then particle size control is improved, but yield is reduced and cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticle size controlVSAvoidyield
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes phase transition during solidification of the alloy melt. By controlling the solidification process, the impurity elements are segregated into the matrix phase while the target metal forms dispersed particle phase. This phase transition-based separation enables high-purity powder production with high yield, avoiding the low yield issue of liquid phase methods while maintaining particle size control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

2Productivity

If mechanical grinding method is used, then production efficiency is improved, but purity and morphology control become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidpurity and morphology
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs phase transition during solidification to inherently separate impurities into the matrix phase while forming pure dispersed particle phase of the target metal. This thermodynamic separation mechanism achieves high purity without mechanical grinding, thus maintaining both production efficiency and purity/morphology control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

3Manufacturing precision

If rotating electrode method or gas atomization method is used for high-performance metal powder, then powder quality is improved, but production efficiency and yield are reduced and energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepowder qualityVSAvoidproduction efficiency and yield
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses solidification phase transition to separate the target metal particles from the matrix phase containing impurities. This thermodynamic separation during solidification achieves high powder quality with high yield and production efficiency, avoiding the low productivity and high energy consumption of rotating electrode and gas atomization methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

4Productivity

If jet milling method or hydrogenation and dehydrogenation method is used, then large-batch production is enabled, but strong selectivity to raw materials and alloys is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelarge-batch production capabilityVSAvoidraw material selectivity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs solidification phase transition which is a universal phenomenon applicable to various alloy systems. By designing appropriate alloy compositions where the target metal forms dispersed particles in a matrix phase during solidification, the method achieves large-batch production with high adaptability to different raw materials and alloys, overcoming the strong selectivity limitation of jet milling and hydrogenation methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

5Manufacturing precision

If traditional impurity control methods are used by controlling raw material purity and vacuum degree, then impurity content is reduced, but cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpurity contentVSAvoidcost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes solidification phase transition to automatically segregate impurity elements into the matrix phase while the target metal forms pure dispersed particle phase. This thermodynamic separation mechanism achieves high-purity powder production without requiring high-purity raw materials or high vacuum degrees, significantly reducing production costs while maintaining low impurity content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #36Phase transitions

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method enables the production of high-purity powder materials with controlled impurity levels, monocrystalline particles, and uniform particle sizes, overcoming production inefficiencies and cost issues, suitable for applications in catalytic materials, powder metallurgy, and 3D printing.

Implementation Method 1

solidifying the initial alloy melt into an initial alloy ribbon with a solidification structure including a matrix phase and a dispersed particle phase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolidification: Freezing

Implementation Method 2

the impurity element T in the initial alloy melt is redistributed in the dispersed particle phase and the matrix phase and enriched in the matrix phase, so as to purify the dispersed particle phase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhase separation:

Data Source

PatentUS12502710B2Method for preparing powder material and application thereof
Publication Date: 2025.12.23 ZHAO YUANYUN

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a method for preparing a powder material and an application thereof. The preparation method includes: obtaining an initial alloy ribbon including a matrix phase and a dispersed particle phase by solidifying an alloy melt, and then removing the matrix phase in the initial alloy ribbon while retaining the dispersed particle phase, so as to obtain a powder material composed of original dispersed particle phase. The preparation method of the present disclosure is simple in process and can prepare multiple powder materials of nano-level, sub-micron-level and micro-level. The powder materials have good application prospects in the fields such as catalytic materials, powder metallurgy, composite materials, wave-absorbing materials, sterilization materials, metal injection molding, 3D printing and coating.