U.S. patent application number 17/487465 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-31 for liquid metal-based powder materials including oxide, composites including same, and methods of forming same.
The applicant listed for this patent is The Research Foundation for the State University of New York. Invention is credited to Jiexian Ma, Pu Zhang.
Application Number | 20220097138 17/487465 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220097138 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhang; Pu ; et al. |
March 31, 2022 |
LIQUID METAL-BASED POWDER MATERIALS INCLUDING OXIDE, COMPOSITES
INCLUDING SAME, AND METHODS OF FORMING SAME
Abstract
Liquid metal-based powder materials may include oxides. More
specifically, the liquid metal-based powder materials may include a
plurality of particles formed from a combination of a liquid metal
and a dopant material. Each of the plurality of particles may have
a predetermined size and having a composition that includes oxide.
More specifically, each of the plurality of particles may include a
core portion including the combination of the liquid metal and the
dopant material, and oxide. Additionally, each of the plurality of
particles may also include an outer portion surrounding the core
portion. The outer portion may be formed as an oxide film.
Furthermore, each of the plurality of particles may also include a
plurality of supplemental nanoparticles formed within the core
portion, and included in the combination of liquid metal, dopant
material, and oxide.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Pu; (Johnson City,
NY) ; Ma; Jiexian; (Vestal, NY) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The Research Foundation for the State University of New
York |
Albany |
NY |
US |
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Appl. No.: |
17/487465 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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63084332 |
Sep 28, 2020 |
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International
Class: |
B22F 9/06 20060101
B22F009/06; B22F 1/00 20060101 B22F001/00 |
Claims
1. A powder material comprising: a plurality of particles formed
from a combination of a liquid metal and a dopant material, each of
the plurality of particles having a predetermined size and having a
composition that includes oxide.
2. The powder material of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of
particles further includes: a core portion including: the
combination of the liquid metal and the dopant material, and the
oxide; and an outer portion surrounding the core portion, the outer
portion formed as an oxide film.
3. The powder material of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of
particles further comprises a plurality of supplemental
nanoparticles formed within the core portion, the plurality of
supplemental nanoparticles formed form a material that alters at
least one of: density characteristics of the plurality of
particles, heat capacity characteristics of the plurality of
particles, thermal conductivity of the plurality of particles,
electrical conductivity of the plurality of particles, or magnetic
properties of the plurality of particles.
4. The powder material of claim 1, wherein the predetermined size
of each of the plurality of particles is between approximately 5
microns and 50 microns.
5. The powder material of claim 3, wherein the predetermined size
of each of the plurality of particles is between approximately 8
microns and 25 microns.
6. The powder material of claim 1, wherein the liquid metal is one
of the metal or the metal alloy that is in the liquid state at a
temperature near approximately 18 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees
Celsius.
7. The powder material of claim 1, wherein the liquid metal is
selected from the group consisting of: Field's metal (BiInSn),
gallium (Ga) metal, and gallium (Ga) based metal alloys.
8. The powder material of claim 1, wherein the dopant material is
selected from the group consisting of: zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and
Silver (Ag).
9. A method of forming a powder material, the method comprising:
performing a first sonication process on a combination of a liquid
metal and a dopant material to form a preliminary powder material;
merging the preliminary powder material to form a preliminary
liquid material; and performing a second sonication process on the
preliminary liquid material to generate a final powder material,
the final powder material including plurality of particles formed
from the preliminary liquid material, wherein each of the plurality
of particles of the final powder material include a predetermined
size and have a composition that includes oxide.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the preliminary powder material
includes a plurality of preliminary particles.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein performing the first sonication
process further includes: forming a preliminary oxide film around a
preliminary core portion of each of the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material, the preliminary core
portion of each of the plurality of preliminary particles of the
preliminary powder material including the combination of the liquid
metal and the dopant material.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the preliminary oxide
film further includes: forming the preliminary oxide film around a
plurality of supplemental nanoparticles formed within the
preliminary core portion of each of the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material, the supplemental
nanoparticles included in the combination of the liquid metal and
the dopant material forming the preliminary powder material.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of
preliminary particles of the preliminary powder material include a
predetermined size that is distinct from the predetermined size of
each of the plurality of particles of the final powder
material.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein merging the preliminary powder
material further includes: melting the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material; breaking the formed,
preliminary oxide film in each of the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material; and dispersing the
broken, preliminary oxide film in each of the plurality of
preliminary particles of the preliminary powder material within the
formed preliminary liquid material.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein performing the second
sonication process further includes: forming an oxide film around a
core portion of each of the plurality of particles of the final
powder material, the core portion of each of the plurality of
particles of the final powder material including: the combination
of the liquid metal and the dopant material, and the oxide formed
from the broken, preliminary oxide film in each of the plurality of
preliminary particles of the preliminary powder material.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: filtering the
preliminary powder material to remove preliminary particles having
a size larger than a predetermined size of the plurality of
preliminary particles; and drying the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material prior to merging the
preliminary powder material to form the preliminary liquid
material.
17. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sonication process
includes a first set of operational parameters and the second
sonication process includes a second set of operational parameters,
distinct from the first set of operational parameters.
18. The method of claim 9, further comprising: mixing the final
powder material with a flexible material to form a composite, the
flexible material includes at least one a polymer material or a
silicone-based material.
19. A composite material comprising: a flexible material; and a
powder material mixed with the flexible material, the powder
material including: a plurality of particles formed from a
combination of a liquid metal and a dopant material, each of the
plurality of particles having a predetermined size and having a
composition that includes oxide.
20. The composite material of claim 19, wherein the flexible
material includes at least one a polymer material or a
silicone-based material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional
application No. 63/084,332 filed on Sep. 28, 2020, the content of
which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present
application.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The disclosure relates generally to liquid metal-based
materials or compositions including oxides, and more particularly,
to liquid metal-based powder materials including oxide, composites
including liquid metal-based powder material having oxide, and
methods of forming the same powder materials.
[0003] Liquid metal (LM) filled soft composites are emerging
multifunctional composites with promising applications as
rigidity-tuning materials, shape memory composites, thermal
management materials, etc. However, supercooling of the LM
particles becomes a critical issue because it impedes the
thermomechanical performance and functions of these composites.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A first aspect of the disclosure provides a powder material
including: a plurality of particles formed from a combination of a
liquid metal and a dopant material, each of the plurality of
particles having a predetermined size and having a composition that
includes oxide.
[0005] A second aspect of the disclosure provides a method of
forming a powder material. The method including: performing a first
sonication process on a combination of a liquid metal and a dopant
material to form a preliminary powder material; merging the
preliminary powder material to form a preliminary liquid material;
and performing a second sonication process on the preliminary
liquid material to generate a final powder material, the final
powder material including plurality of particles formed from the
preliminary liquid material, wherein each of the plurality of
particles of the final powder material include a predetermined size
and have a composition that includes oxide.
[0006] A third aspect of the disclosure provides a composite
material including: a flexible material; and a powder material
mixed with the flexible material, the powder material including: a
plurality of particles formed from a combination of a liquid metal
and a dopant material, each of the plurality of particles having a
predetermined size and having a composition that includes
oxide.
[0007] The illustrative aspects of the present disclosure are
designed to solve the problems herein described and/or other
problems not discussed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] These and other features of this disclosure will be more
readily understood from the following detailed description of the
various aspects of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings that depict various embodiments of the
disclosure, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative top view of a powder material
including a plurality of particles, according to embodiments of the
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows an illustrative top view of a composite
material formed from a flexible material and the powder material of
FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative top view of a powder material
including a plurality of particles including nanoparticles formed
therein, according to embodiments of the disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating a process for forming
a powder material including a plurality of materials, according to
embodiments of the disclosure.
[0013] FIGS. 5-8 show illustrative top views of various materials
undergoing processes for forming a powder material including a
plurality of particles, according to embodiments of the
disclosure.
[0014] It is noted that the drawings of the disclosure are not to
scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of
the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting
the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings, like numbering
represents like elements between the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] As an initial matter, in order to clearly describe the
current disclosure it will become necessary to select certain
terminology when referring to and describing relevant components
within the disclosure. When doing this, if possible, common
industry terminology will be used and employed in a manner
consistent with its accepted meaning. Unless otherwise stated, such
terminology should be given a broad interpretation consistent with
the context of the present application and the scope of the
appended claims. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate
that often a particular component may be referred to using several
different or overlapping terms. What may be described herein as
being a single part may include and be referenced in another
context as consisting of multiple components. Alternatively, what
may be described herein as including multiple components may be
referred to elsewhere as a single part.
[0016] As discussed herein, the disclosure relates generally to
liquid metal-based materials or compositions including oxides, and
more particularly, to liquid metal-based powder materials including
oxide, composites including liquid metal-based powder material
having oxide, and methods of forming the same powder materials.
[0017] These and other embodiments are discussed below with
reference to FIGS. 1-8. However, those skilled in the art will
readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with
respect to these Figures is for explanatory purposes only and
should not be construed as limiting.
[0018] Turning to FIG. 1 a powder material 100 is shown. As shown
in FIG. 1 powder material 100 may include a plurality of particles
102. Each of the plurality of particles 102 may be compositionally
similar and/or may include substantially similar compositions. In a
non-limiting example, each of the plurality of particles 102 of
powder material 100 may be formed from and/or may include a liquid
metal 104 and a dopant material 106. That is, a base material
and/or base composition of powder material 100 may include a
combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106. The
combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106 may be, for
example, homogeneously mixed and/or combined. In the non-limiting
example shown in FIG. 1, liquid metal 104 may be formed from and/or
may include any suitable metal or metal alloy that may be in liquid
state when heated up to approximately 18 degrees Celsius (.degree.
C.) and 25 degrees .degree. C. (e.g., room temperature), and more
specifically, a temperature near approximately 20 degrees .degree.
C. For example, liquid metal 104 may be formed from Field's metal
(BiInSn), gallium (Ga), or a gallium-based metal alloy. In other
non-limiting examples, liquid metal 104 may be formed from any
suitable liquid metal/alloys, or fusible metal/alloys, including
but not limited to, eutectic alloys. Dopant material 106 may be
formed from any suitable material capable of doping liquid metal
104. For example, dopant material 106 may be formed from zinc,
copper, silver, and the like. In a non-limiting example, the alloy
formed from liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106 may be a
combination--BiInSnZn.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, and discussed herein, powder material
100 may also include oxide formed therein/thereon, and/or may
include a composition that includes oxide. Turning to the insert of
FIG. 1, An enlarged view of a single particle 102 of powder
material 100 is shown. In the non-limiting example, particle 102
may include core portion 108, and an outer portion 110 surrounding
core portion 108. Core portion 108 may include the combination of
liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106. Additionally core portion
108 may include oxide 112. As shown in the insert of FIG. 1, oxide
112 may be dispersed, distributed, suspended, and/or formed within
the combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106 of core
portion 108. As discussed herein, oxide 112 may be dispersed
throughout core portion 108 and/or formed within the combination of
liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106 of core portion 108 as a
result of performing sonication processes.
[0020] Additionally as shown in the insert FIG. 1, each of the
plurality of particles 102 of powder material 100 may include oxide
112 in outer portion 110 surrounding core portion 108. More
specifically, outer portion 110 may be formed as an oxide film 118
that may substantially surround and/or encompass core portion 108
including liquid metal 104, dopant material 106, and oxide 112. As
discussed herein, outer portion 110, formed from oxide 112 and/or
oxide film 118, may be formed as a result of performing sonication
processes. Additionally, and as discussed herein, the amount of
oxide 112 present, dispersed, and/or included in core portion 108
and/or outer portion 110 may be a predetermined or desired amount
of oxide 112 by percentage of weight or percentage of composition.
Furthermore, oxide 112 included in each of the plurality of
particles 102 may be and/or may form heterogeneous nucleation sites
within particles 102 of powder material 100. As discussed herein,
the inclusion Pandora formation of oxide 112 within particles 102
may substantially suppress supercooling effects for powder material
100.
[0021] Each of the plurality of particles 102 may include a
predetermined size(s). In a non-limiting example, each of the
plurality of particles 102 of powder material 100 may have a
predetermined size (e.g., diameter) between approximately five (5)
microns (.mu.m) and approximately 50 .mu.m. More specifically, each
of the plurality of particles 102 may have a predetermined size
between approximately 10 .mu.m and 25 .mu.m. As discussed herein,
the predetermined size of each of the plurality of particles 102 of
powder material 100 may be determined by and/or may be
substantially controlled, at least in part, by sonication processes
performed on the combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant
material 106.
[0022] Turning to FIG. 2, a composite material 120 is shown. In a
non-limiting example, composite material 120 may include a flexible
material 122 and powder material 100. More specifically, composite
material 120 may include and/or may be formed from a mixture of
flexible material 122 and the plurality of particles 102 of powder
material 100, where each of the plurality of particles 102 include
oxide 112/oxide film 118 (see, FIG. 1). Flexible material 122 of
composite material 120 may be formed from and/or may include any
suitable material that may be substantially flexible and/or include
elastic properties. For example, flexible material 122 may include
polymer material (e.g., rubber), silicone material, and/or
silicone-based material (e.g., Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)). Powder
material 100 may be mixed with flexible material 122 to form
composition material 120 based on a predetermined volume percentage
and/or weight percentage. For example, composite material 120 may
be formed of approximately 10% to approximately 40% of powder
material 100. As a result of the suppressed supercooling properties
of powder material 100, composite material 120, including powder
material 100, may also have suppressed supercooling properties
and/or characteristics.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows another non-limiting example of powder material
100 including plurality of particles 102. It is understood that
similarly numbered and/or named components may function in a
substantially similar fashion. Redundant explanation of these
components has been omitted for clarity.
[0024] As shown in the non-limiting example, each of the plurality
of particles 102 may include a plurality of supplemental
nanoparticles 124. The plurality of supplemental nanoparticles 124
may be formed within core portion 108 of each of the plurality of
particles 102. More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 3,
supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be dispersed, distributed,
suspended, and/or formed within the combination of liquid metal 104
and dopant material 106 of core portion 108. As discussed herein,
supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be dispersed throughout core
portion 108 and/or formed within the combination of liquid metal
104 and dopant material 106 of core portion 108 as a result of
performing sonication processes. Additionally as discussed herein,
the plurality of supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be included
within the combination of the liquid metal 104 and dopant material
106 prior to performing the sonication processes thereon. That is,
supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be included within dopant
material 106 that may dope liquid metal 104, or alternatively,
supplemental nanoparticles 124 may separately dope liquid metal 104
prior to performing sonication processes on the combination (e.g.,
liquid metal 104, dopant material 106, nanoparticles 124).
[0025] The inclusion of supplemental nanoparticles 124 within each
of the plurality of particles 102 may alter characteristics and/or
properties of particles 102 forming powder material 100. For
example, the inclusion of supplemental nanoparticles 124 within
each of the plurality of particles 102 may alter, adjust, and/or
change (e.g., increase, decrease) the density or density
characteristics of the plurality of particles 102, heat capacity
characteristics of the plurality of particles 102, thermal
conductivity of the plurality of particles 102, electrical
conductivity of the plurality of particles 102, and/or the magnetic
properties of the plurality of particles 102. The characteristics
and/or properties of particles 102 that may be altered may be
dependent, at least in part, on the material and/or composition of
supplemental nanoparticles 124 included and/or formed within
particles 102. For example, to reduce the density of particles 102
forming powder material 100, supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be
formed from and/or formed as ceramic or ceramic-based nanoparticles
(e.g., silica (SiO.sub.2) that may be added to and/or included in
the combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106. To
alter (e.g., increase, decrease) heat capacity characteristics,
thermal conductivity, and/or electrical conductivity, supplemental
nanoparticles 124 may be formed from and/or as metal or metal-alloy
nanoparticles that may be added to and/or included in the
combination of liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106. In these
examples, supplemental nanoparticles 124 may be formed from, but
not limited to, copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), tungsten (W),
and any other suitable metal material having similar heat
capacity/thermal conductivity/electrical conductivity
characteristics. Furthermore, magnetic properties of the plurality
of particles 102 may be altered when supplemental nanoparticles 124
may be formed from/as, for example, ferromagnetic materials. One
example of ferromagnetic materials for supplemental nanoparticles
124 that may alter magnetic properties includes iron (Fe).
[0026] It is understood that the plurality of supplemental
nanoparticles 124 included in each of the plurality of particles
102 may include or be formed from a single material, or
alternatively may be formed from at least two distinct materials.
Where the plurality of supplemental nanoparticles 124 are formed
from a plurality of distinct materials, multiple characteristics
and/or properties of particles 102 forming powder material 100 may
be altered. For example, the plurality of nanoparticles 124 formed
in each of the plurality of particles 102 may include a first
portion formed from silica material, and a second portion formed
from copper. In this example, supplemental nanoparticles 124 formed
from both silica material and copper may both reduce the density of
each of the plurality of particles 102 and increase electrical
conductivity in particles 102.
[0027] FIG. 4 depicts example processes for forming a powder
material. More specifically, FIG. 4 depicts a non-limiting example
of processes for forming a powder material having a plurality of
particles that include oxide formed therein/thereon. The powder
material formed in these processes may be substantially similar to
powder material 100 shown and discussed herein with respect to FIG.
1.
[0028] In process P1, a first sonication process may be performed
on a liquid metal and dopant material. More specifically, a first
sonication process may be performed on a homogenous combination of
a liquid metal and dopant material to form a preliminary powder
material. The preliminary powder material formed from the first
sonication process may include a plurality of preliminary
particles. The first sonication process may be performed by
submerging the homogeneous combination of liquid metal and dopant
material into a solvent, for example an ethanol bath. The solvent
and homogenous combination are subsequently heated and exposing to
an ultrasonic wave or energy. The ultrasonic wave or energy emitted
and/or provided to the solvent and homogeneous combination may
include predetermined operational parameters, including, but not
limited to, exposure time and amplitude size/intensity. The
predetermined operational parameters of the ultrasonic wave or
energy may also determine the size of each of the plurality of
preliminary particles for the preliminary powder material. In a
non-limiting example, each of the plurality of preliminary
particles for the preliminary powder material may include a size of
approximately one (1) micron (.mu.m) to approximately 50 .mu.m. In
other non-limiting examples, the first sonication of process P1 may
be performed on a combination of liquid metal, dopant material, and
a plurality of supplemental nanoparticles. In this example, the
liquid metal, the dopant material, and the supplemental
nanoparticles may undergo the first sonication process to form the
preliminary powder material.
[0029] Additionally, the performing of the first sonication process
may also include forming a preliminary oxide film around a
preliminary core portion of each of the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material. The preliminary core
portion of each of the plurality of preliminary particles may
include a combination of the liquid material and the dopant
material. In other non-limiting examples where the combination
undergoing the first sonication process includes liquid metal,
dopant material, and a plurality of supplemental nanoparticles,
forming the preliminary oxide film may also include forming the
preliminary oxide film around a plurality of supplemental
nanoparticles. In this non-limiting, the plurality of supplemental
nanoparticles may be formed within the preliminary core portion of
each of the plurality of preliminary particles of the preliminary
powder material.
[0030] In process P2 (shown in phantom as optional), the
preliminary powder material may be filtered and/or dried. More
specifically, the preliminary powder material may be filtered to
remove preliminary particles having a size larger than a
predetermined and/or desired size (e.g., 1-5 .mu.m) for the
preliminary particles formed in process P1. Additionally, or
alternatively, the plurality of preliminary particles of the
preliminary powder material may be dried prior to subsequent
processing as discussed herein (e.g., process P3).
[0031] In process P3, the preliminary powder material is merged to
form a preliminary liquid material. That is, the preliminary powder
material undergoes a process to liquefy the powder material into a
preliminary liquid material. In a non-limiting example, the merging
in process P3 may include heating the plurality of preliminary
particles of the preliminary powder material. Heating the plurality
of preliminary particles may result in the breaking, segmenting,
and/or separating of the preliminary oxide film formed around the
preliminary core portion in each of the plurality of preliminary
particles. The broken, segmented, and/or separated preliminary
oxide film(s) may then be dispersed, distributed, and/or suspended
in preliminary liquid material. For example, as the plurality of
preliminary particles are converted and/or merged to form the
preliminary liquid material, the broken preliminary oxide film may
be dispersed, distributed, absorbed, suspended, and/or included
within and/or positioned throughout the preliminary liquid
material.
[0032] In a non-limiting example, and as shown in phantom as
optional, Processes P1-P3 may be performed more than once prior to
performing P4. That is, process P1-P3 may be performed a single
time, or alternatively may be performed a plurality of times before
performing process P4. In the non-limiting example where processes
P1-P3 are performed a plurality of times, additional oxide may be
added to, generated, created, and/or included within the
preliminary liquid material (e.g., process P3). That is, each time
processes P1-P3 are performed, more oxides may be generated and/or
accumulated in the core portion of each of the plurality of
preliminary particles. As such, the amount of oxide present in each
preliminary particle may be determined and/or defined by, at least
in part, the number of times processes P1-P3 are performed.
Furthermore, each time process P1 is performed, operational
parameters may be identical or alternatively may be different than
the prior performance of the first sonication process. As discussed
herein, the predetermined size of the particles may be dependent
upon, at least in part, the operational parameters of the
sonication process. In a non-limiting example where the preliminary
particles' size is between approximately 5 microns and 10 microns,
process P1-P3 may be performed a plurality of times to ensure the
preliminary particles, and ultimately the preliminary liquid
material, includes a predetermined and/or desired amount of oxide
before proceeding to process P4.
[0033] Furthermore, and in the non-limiting example where the
combination of liquid metal, dopant material, and a plurality of
supplemental nanoparticles may undergo the first sonication
process, it is understood that the supplemental nanoparticles may
be included with liquid metal/dopant material before performing the
first sonication process (e.g., process P1) and/or may be added
before performing the first sonication process (e.g., process P1) a
subsequent time, where processes P1-P3 are performed a plurality of
times. In a non-limiting example where the supplemental
nanoparticles are included prior to performing process P1 a
second/subsequent time, the plurality of supplemental nanoparticles
may be included in the preliminary liquid material formed in
process P3. Additionally in another non-limiting example, the
plurality of supplemental nanoparticles may be included in the
preliminary liquid material including liquid metal, dopant
material, and oxide, prior to performing process P4, as discussed
herein.
[0034] In process P4, a second sonication process may be performed
on the preliminary liquid material. More specifically, a second
sonication process may be performed on the combination of liquid
metal, dopant material, and oxide (and where applicable,
supplemental nanoparticles) to form a final powder material.
Similar to the preliminary powder material, the final powder
material formed from the second sonication process may include a
plurality of particles. The plurality of particles of the final
powder material may include a core portion formed as or from liquid
metal, dopant material, and oxide. In a non-limiting example, the
oxide in the core portion of the plurality of particles forming the
final powder material may include the preliminary oxide film that
is broken and dispersed in process P3. In other non-limiting
examples where the initial combination and/or the preliminary
liquid material includes supplemental nanoparticles therein, each
of the plurality of particles of the final powder material may also
include the supplemental nanoparticles within the core
portion--along with liquid metal, dopant material, and oxide, as
discussed herein. Additionally, each of the plurality of particles
of the final powder material may include an outer portion
surrounding the core portion. The outer portion may include an
oxide film. As discussed herein, the predetermined operational
parameters of the ultrasonic wave or energy emitted during the
second sonication process may determine the size of each of the
plurality of particles for the final powder material. In a
non-limiting example, each of the plurality of particles for the
final powder material may include a size of approximately 5 microns
(.mu.m) to approximately 25 microns. As such, the operational
parameters for the second sonication process performed in process
P4 may be distinct form the operational parameters of the first
sonication process performed in process P1. That is, the first
sonication process may be performed in process P1 under a first set
of operational parameters, while the second sonication process may
be performed in process P4 under a second set of operational
parameters, distinct from the first set of operational
parameters.
[0035] In process P5 (shown in phantom as optional), the final
powder material may be filtered and/or dried. More specifically,
the final powder material may be filtered to remove particles
having a size larger than a predetermined and/or desired size
(e.g., 5-25 .mu.m) for the particles formed in process P4.
Additionally, or alternatively, the plurality of particles of the
final powder material may be dried prior to subsequent processing
as discussed herein (e.g., process P6). In a non-limiting example,
the plurality of particles of the final powder material may be
air-dried in process P5.
[0036] In process P6, the final powder material is mixed with a
flexible material. More specifically, the final powder material is
mixed with a flexible material to form a composite material. The
flexible material may include, for example, a polymer material, a
silicon, and/or silicone-based material. As discussed herein, the
inclusion and/or mixing of the final powder material, having
suppressed supercooling properties, with the flexible material may
result in the composite material also having suppressed
supercooling properties.
[0037] FIGS. 5-8 show a non-limiting example of various materials
undergoing processes for forming powder material 100 (see, FIG. 8).
As discussed herein, the processes performed on the various
materials of FIGS. 5-8 for forming powder material 100 of FIG. 8
may be substantially similar to processes P1-P6 discussed herein
with respect to FIG. 4. It is understood that similarly numbered
and/or named components may function in a substantially similar
fashion. Redundant explanation of these components has been omitted
for clarity.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows a homogenous mixture of liquid metal 104 and
dopant material 106 prior to performing a first sonication process.
Additionally, and in other non-limiting examples, the homogenous
mixture shown in FIG. 5 may also include a plurality of
supplemental nanoparticles included with liquid metal 104 and
dopant material 106. FIG. 6 shows a preliminary powder material 130
including a plurality of preliminary particles 132. Preliminary
powder material 130, and more specifically the plurality of
preliminary particles 132, may be formed after performing a first
sonication process (e.g., process P1) on the homogenous mixture of
liquid metal 104 and dopant material 106 (and where applicable,
supplemental nanoparticles 124) shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG.
6, each of the plurality of preliminary particles 132 may include a
preliminary core portion 134 and a preliminary oxide film 136
surrounding core portion 134. Core portion 134 of each preliminary
particle 132 may include and/or be formed from liquid metal 104 and
dopant material 106. Furthermore, where the homogenous mixture also
includes supplemental nanoparticles 124, core portion 134 of each
preliminary particle 132 may also include supplemental
nanoparticles 124 (shown in phantom, as optional). As shown, each
of the plurality of preliminary particles 132 of preliminary powder
material 130 may include a first predetermined size (S1). In
non-limiting examples, the first predetermined size of the
plurality of preliminary particles 132 may be between approximately
one (1) micron (.mu.m) to 10 .mu.m.
[0039] FIG. 7 shows a preliminary liquid material 138. Preliminary
liquid material 138 may include or be formed as a heterogenous
mixture of liquid metal 104, dopant material 106, and oxide 112.
Alternatively, and where applicable, the heterogenous mixture of
liquid metal 104, dopant material 106, and oxide 112 forming
preliminary liquid material 138 may also include a plurality of
supplemental nanoparticles 124 as well. In a non-limiting example,
preliminary liquid material 138 may be formed from preliminary
powder material 130, as shown in FIG. 6, by merging the plurality
of preliminary particles 132 (e.g., process P3). Merging the
plurality of preliminary particles 132 may be accomplished by, for
example, melting each of the plurality of preliminary particles
132, breaking the preliminary oxide film 136 in each of the
plurality of preliminary particles 132, and subsequently
dispersing, distributing, and/or combining the broken, preliminary
oxide film 136 with the newly liquified liquid metal 104 and dopant
material 106 (and where applicable, supplemental nanoparticles 124)
forming preliminary liquid material 138. In the non-limiting
example shown in FIG. 7, oxide 112 may represent and/or be formed
by the broken, preliminary oxide film 136.
[0040] FIG. 8 shows a final powder material 100 including a
plurality of particles 102. Final powder material 100, and more
specifically the plurality of particles 102, may be formed after
performing a second sonication process (e.g., process P4) on
preliminary liquid material 106 shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG.
8, each of the plurality of particles 102 may include core portion
108 and outer portion 110 surrounding core portion 108. Core
portion 108 of each particle 102 may include and/or be formed from
liquid metal 104, dopant material 106, and oxide 112. Oxide 112 in
core portion 108 of the plurality of particles 102 forming final
powder material 100 may include the preliminary oxide film 136 that
is broken and dispersed when merging preliminary particles 132
(see, e.g., FIG. 7). Furthermore, where preliminary liquid material
138 also includes supplemental nanoparticles 124 (see, e.g., FIG.
7), core portion 134 of each preliminary particle 132 may also
include supplemental nanoparticles 124 (shown in phantom, as
optional). As similarly discussed herein, outer portion 110 may be
formed as an oxide film 118. Each of the plurality of particles 102
of powder material 100 may include a second predetermined size
(S2). In non-limiting examples, the second predetermined size of
the plurality of particles 102 may be between approximately five
(5) microns (.mu.m) to 25 .mu.m.
[0041] Final powder material 100 shown in FIG. 8 may be
subsequently mixed with a flexible material, as similarly discussed
herein with respect to process P6 of FIG. 4. The mixing of final
powder material 100 including the plurality of particles 102 with a
flexible material (e.g., flexible material 122) may form a
composite material similar composite material 120 shown and
discussed herein with respect to FIG. 2.
[0042] It is understood that the number of particles and/or the
number of oxides included within each particle is illustrative. As
such, each powder material may include more or less particles than
shown, and/or each particle may include more or less oxide than
shown.
[0043] Additionally, although discussed herein as forming oxide in
the various particles, powder materials, and liquid materials via
sonication and/or merging (e.g., heating), it is understood that
oxide material may be added to the various particles, powder
materials, and/or liquid materials using other deposition
processes. That is, additionally, or alternatively, oxide may be
added, dispersed, distributed, and/or combined with the particles,
powder materials, and/or liquid materials using processes or
techniques other than sonication and/or merging. For example,
independent oxide may be added to and/or combined with preliminary
liquid material 138 of FIG. 7 using suitable oxide deposition and
mixing techniques. As such, the amount of oxide included in the
particles, powder materials, and/or liquid materials that may be
generated by sonication/merging processes, may be supplemented by
an oxide deposition process to increase the amount of oxide
included therein.
[0044] The foregoing drawings show some of the processing
associated according to several embodiments of this disclosure. In
this regard, each drawing or block within a flow diagram of the
drawings represents a process associated with embodiments of the
method described. It should also be noted that in some alternative
implementations, the acts noted in the drawings or blocks may occur
out of the order noted in the figure or, for example, may in fact
be executed substantially concurrently or in the reverse order,
depending upon the act involved. Also, one of ordinary skill in the
art will recognize that additional blocks that describe the
processing may be added.
[0045] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
"Optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described
event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the
description includes instances where the event occurs and instances
where it does not.
[0046] Approximating language, as used herein throughout the
specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative
representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a
change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a
value modified by a term or terms, such as "about," "approximately"
and "substantially," are not to be limited to the precise value
specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language
may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the
value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range
limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges are
identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless
context or language indicates otherwise. "Approximately" as applied
to a particular value of a range applies to both values, and unless
otherwise dependent on the precision of the instrument measuring
the value, may indicate +/-10% of the stated value(s).
[0047] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and
equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the
claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or
act for performing the function in combination with other claimed
elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present
disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the
disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without
departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The
embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the
principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to
enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the
disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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