METALLIC ALLOYS HAVING AMORPHOUS, NANO-CRYSTALLINE, OR MICROCRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE

• US 20130216857A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energy Power Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Energy Power Systems LLC
• Inventors: ALBANO, Fabio, DHAR, Subhash K., ANDERSON, Erik W., VENKATESAN, Srinivasan
• Granted Patent: US 9,595,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/615
• CPC Class Codes: B21C 23/22 Making metal-coated products; Making products from two or more metals
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/043 of metal B32B15/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/11 Making amorphous alloys
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 11/00 Alloys based on lead
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 11/02 with an alkali or an alkaline earth metal as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 11/06 with tin as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 45/00 Amorphous alloys making amorphous non-ferrous alloys C22C1/11
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/04 only coatings of inorganic non-metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/042 including a refractory ceramic layer, e.g. refractory metal oxides, ZrO2, rare earth oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/322 only coatings of metal elements only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/34 including at least one inorganic non-metallic material layer, e.g. metal carbide, nitride, boride, silicide layer and their mixtures, enamels, phosphates and sulphates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/345 with at least one oxide layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/3455 with a refractory ceramic layer, e.g. refractory metal oxide, ZrO2, rare earth oxides or a thermal barrier system comprising at least one refractory oxide layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/02 mainly consisting of metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/685 Lead alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/73 for lead-acid accumulators, e.g. frame plates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12493 Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, joint, etc.]

Abstract

A metal alloy for use in a wire included in an electrochemical cell is disclosed having an amorphous structure, microcrystalline grains, or grains that are sized less than about one micron. In various embodiments, the microcrystalline grains are not generally longitudinally oriented, are variably oriented, or are randomly oriented. In some embodiments, the microcrystalline grains lack uniform grain size or are variably sized. In some embodiments, the microcrystalline grains have an average grain size of less than or equal to 5 microns. In some embodiments, the metal alloy lacks long-range crystalline order among the microcrystalline grains. In some embodiments, the wire is used in a substrate used in the electrochemical cell. In some embodiments, the metal alloy is formed using a co-extrusion process comprising warming up the metallic alloy and applying pressure and simultaneously passing a core material through a die to obtain a composite structure.

Claims

1. A metal alloy for use in a wire included in an electrochemical cell, wherein the metal alloy has microcrystalline grains.

2. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy is a lead alloy.

3. The metal alloy of claim 2, wherein the lead alloy is selected from the group consisting of pure lead (99.9% Pb, 99.99% Pb), lead-tin-selenium, Pb-0.5˜

2.0% Sn-0.010˜

0.099% Se), lead-tin (Pb-0.5˜

2.0% Sn), and lead-tin-silver (Pb-0.5˜

2.0% Sn-0.010˜

0.050% Ag).

4. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the microcrystalline grains are not generally longitudinally oriented, are variably oriented, or are randomly oriented.

5. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the microcrystalline grains lack uniform grain size or are variably sized.

6. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the microcrystalline grains have an average grain size of less than or equal to 5 microns.

7. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy lacks long-range crystalline order among the microcrystalline grains.

8. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the wire is used in a substrate used in the electrochemical cell.

9. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy is formed using a co-extrusion process.

10. The metal alloy of claim 9, wherein the co-extrusion process comprises:

warming up the metallic alloy to a point below its melting point; and

applying pressure to the alloy and simultaneously passing a core material through a die to obtain a composite structure.

11. The metal alloy of claim 9, wherein the co-extrusion process comprises:

using an alloy that is formulated to be a glass-forming alloy; and

extruding said alloy.

12. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy is formed by extruding an alloy formulated using glass-forming elements comprising one or more metals selected from groups I-VIII of the periodic table of elements.

13. The metal alloy of claim 12, wherein an amount of the glass former does not exceed 1% in weight.

14. The metal alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy is formed by quenching a supercooled or a molten metal alloy.

15. The metal alloy of claim 14, wherein a cooling rate of the quenching is at or above 1,000,000 K/s.

16. A metal alloy for use in a wire included in an electrochemical cell, wherein the metal alloy has an amorphous structure.

17. The metal alloy of claim 16, wherein the metal alloy is a lead alloy.

18. The metal alloy of claim 16, wherein the wire is used in a substrate used in the electrochemical cell.

19. A metal alloy for use in a wire included in an electrochemical cell, wherein the metal alloy has grains that are sized less than about one micron.

20. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the metal alloy is a lead alloy.

21. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the grains are not generally longitudinally oriented, are variably oriented, or are randomly oriented

22. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the grains lack uniform grain size.

23. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the grains are variably sized.

24. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the grains have an average grain size of less than or equal to about five nanometers.

25. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the metal alloy lacks long-range crystalline order among the grains.

26. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the wire is a lead wire.

27. The metal alloy of claim 19, wherein the wire is used in a substrate used in the electrochemical cell.

28. The metal alloy of claim 27, wherein the substrate is embedded in active material.

29. A metal alloy for use in a wire included in an electrochemical cell, wherein the metal alloy has an amorphous structure, microcrystalline grains, or grains that are sized less than about one micron.

30. The metal alloy of claim 29, wherein the metal alloy is a lead alloy.