Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Unisearch Limited

David H Morton

Stephen G Szirmai

Edmund C Potter

A liquid or powder material can be dispersed by the application of electrostatic fields. The phenomena, referred to as 'electrodispersion' is the dispersion by an intense electric field of part of a static bed of liquid or powder into a stable cloud of rapidly moving particles, and the maintenance of a dynamic equilibrium between the static and dispersed phases. The density of the dispersed cloud of particles varies with a number of factors, including the field strength and the nature of the powder. The electrodeposition effect is employed to produce a uniform and durable coating of controlled thickness on the individual particles, by the generation of a vapor of the desired coating--typically a metal or semiconductor material--and allowing the vapor to permeate the dispersed particles. The electric field ensures that only the particles are coated, and the dispersed particles, having the same charge, repel each other, avoiding agglomeration. Potential applications include the manufacture of high performance catalysts wherein expensive metals like platinum are vapor-coated onto an inexpensive metal powder. Other possibilities include the production of graphite-coated metal particles for making self-lubricating metal components such as bearings and shafts, and the manufacture of slow dissolving coatings on pharmaceutical powders.

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David H Morton