Microwave plasma chemical synthesis of ultrafine powders
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for the microwave synthesis of materials, comprising:
- a microwave generator;
a waveguide through which a microwave generated by said microwave generator passes into a plasma zone in which a plasma heats reactants to form reaction products;
a plasma gas inlet offset at an angle so that plasma gas passing through the inlet enters the plasma zone in a spiral-shaped pattern; and
a reaction products collector downstream from said plasma zone for collecting the reaction products.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to the production of ultrafine powders using a microwave plasma apparatus and chemical synthesis technique. Microwaves generated by a magnetron (1) are passed through waveguides (2) before they arrive at the head of a plasmatron (3). These high energy microwaves ionize a plasma gas, thus releasing large amounts of energy. The energy thus released is utilized to initiate and sustain chemical reactions between the desired elements being pumped in a spiral pattern into the plasmatron (3). The reaction products are quenched rapidly in a reactor column (4) into ultrafine powders.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for the microwave synthesis of materials, comprising:
-
a microwave generator;
a waveguide through which a microwave generated by said microwave generator passes into a plasma zone in which a plasma heats reactants to form reaction products;
a plasma gas inlet offset at an angle so that plasma gas passing through the inlet enters the plasma zone in a spiral-shaped pattern; and
a reaction products collector downstream from said plasma zone for collecting the reaction products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. An apparatus for the microwave synthesis of materials, comprising:
-
a microwave generator;
a waveguide through which a microwave generated by said microwave generator passes into a plasma zone in which a plasma heats reactants to form reaction products;
a microwave damper at a side of the plasma zone away from the waveguide for damping microwaves that have passed through the plasma zone to thereby reduce the power of a reflected microwave by at least 60%; and
a reaction products collector downstream from said plasma zone for collecting the reaction products. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
12. A method for the microwave synthesis of materials, said method comprising:
-
introducing a plasma gas into a microwave applicator;
introducing at least one reactant into the microwave applicator;
generating a microwave in a microwave generator;
directing the microwave into the microwave applicator containing the plasma gas to create a heated plasma in a plasma zone;
absorbing the microwave to reduce the microwave reflection off of a surface of the microwave applicator by at least 60%; and
causing a reaction in the plasma zone thereby converting the at least one reactant into a reaction product.
-
-
17. An aggregate of powders consisting essentially of particles having an average particle size less than 1 micron, and a particle size distribution of less than 50 nm.
Specification