Tekna Plasma Systems Inc.

Hitachi Metals, Ltd.

Hydro-quebec

Inco Limited

Jiayin Guo

Jerzy W Jurewicz

Maher I Boulos

Gang Han

Shujiroh Uesaka

Tatsuya Shoji

Richard Dolbec

Karim Zaghib

Abdelbast Guerfi

Dominic Leblanc

Hiroshi Takashima

Nicolas Dignard

Vladimir Paserin

Richard S Adams

Eric Bouchard

Mariko Fukumaru

Mariko Fukumaru (nee Abe)

Xiaobao Fan

Maher Boulos

Jerzy Jurewicz

The present disclosure generally relates to metallic powders for use in multilayer ceramic capacitors, to multilayer ceramic capacitors containing same and to methods of manufacturing such powders and capacitors. The disclosure addresses the problem of having better controlled smaller particle size distribution, with minimal contaminant contents which can be implemented at an industrial scale.

Metallic powders for use as electrode material in multilayer ceramic capacitors and method of manufacturing and of using same

There is provided a method of manufacturing nanoparticles comprising the steps of feeding a core precursor into a plasma torch in a plasma reactor, thereby producing a vapor of silicon or alloy thereof; and allowing the vapor to migrate to a quenching zone of the plasma reactor, thereby cooling the vapor and allowing condensation of the vapor into a nanoparticle core made of the silicon or alloy thereof, wherein the quenching gas comprises a passivating gas precursor that reacts with the surface of the core in the quenching zone produce a passivation layer covering the core, thereby producing said nanoparticles. The present invention also relates to nanoparticles comprising a core covered with a passivation layer, the core being made of silicon or an alloy thereof, as well as their use, in particular in the manufacture of anodes.

Nanoparticles comprising a core covered with a passivation layer, process for manufacture and uses thereof

A plasma reactor comprises a torch body comprising a plasma torch for generating plasma, a reactor section in fluid communication with the torch body for receiving the plasma from the plasma torch, and a quench section in fluid communication with the reactor section. The quench section comprises an inner wall defining a quench chamber, the inner wall has a serrated configuration, and the quench chamber has an upstream end adjacent the reactor section and an opposite downstream end. The plasma reactor also comprises at least one heating element in thermal communication with the reactor section, wherein the at least one heating element provides for selectively modulating a temperature within the reactor section.

Plasma reactor for the synthesis of nanopowders and materials processing

A titanium metal production apparatus is provided with (a) a first flow channel that supplies magnesium in a state of gas, (b) a second flow channel that supplies titanium tetrachloride in a state of gas, (c) a gas mixing section in which the magnesium and titanium tetrachloride in a state of gas are mixed and the temperature is controlled to be 1600&#xb0; C. or more, (d) a titanium metal deposition section in which particles for deposition are arranged so as to be movable, the temperature is in the range of 715 to 1500&#xb0; C., and the absolute pressure is 50 kPa to 500 kPa, and (e) a mixed gas discharge section which is in communication with the titanium metal deposition section.

Titanium metal production apparatus and production method for titanium metal

A device for producing titanium metal comprises (a) a first heating unit that heats and gasifies magnesium and a first channel that feeds the gaseous magnesium, (b) a second heating unit that heats and gasifies titanium tetrachloride so as to have a temperature of at least 1600&#xb0; C. and a second channel that feeds the gaseous titanium tetrachloride, (c) a venturi section at which the second channel communicates with an entrance channel, the first channel merges into a throat and as a result the magnesium and the titanium tetrachloride combine in the throat and a mixed gas is formed in the exit channel, and in which the temperature of the throat and the exit channel is regulated to be at least 1600&#xb0; C., (d) a titanium metal deposition unit that communicates with the exit channel and has a substrate for deposition with a temperature in the range of 715-1500&#xb0; C., and (e) a mixed gas discharge channel that communicates with the titanium metal deposition unit.

Device for producing titanium metal, and method for producing titanium metal

Disclosed is a method for producing titanium metal, which comprises: (a) a step in which a mixed gas is formed by supplying titanium tetrachloride and magnesium into a mixing space that is held at an absolute pressure of 50-500 kPa and at a temperature not less than 1700&#xb0; C.; (b) a step in which the mixed gas is introduced into a deposition space; (c) a step in which titanium metal is deposited and grown on a substrate for deposition; and (d) a step in which the mixed gas after the step (c) is discharged. In this connection, the deposition space has an absolute pressure of 50-500 kPa, the substrate for deposition is arranged in the deposition space, and at least a part of the substrate for deposition is held within the temperature range of 715-1500&#xb0; C.

Method for producing titanium metal

A process and apparatus for preparing a nanopowder are presented. The process comprises feeding a reactant material into a plasma reactor in which is generated a plasma flow having a temperature sufficiently high to vaporize the material; transporting the vapor with the plasma flow into a quenching zone; injecting a preheated quench gas into the plasma flow in the quenching zone to form a renewable gaseous condensation front; and forming a nanopowder at the interface between the renewable controlled temperature gaseous condensation front and the plasma flow.

Plasma synthesis of nanopowders

A process and apparatus for producing titanium metal is described herein. The process comprises generating an RF thermal plasma discharge using a plasma torch provided with an RF coil; reducing titanium tetrachloride to a titanium metal by supplying titanium tetrachloride and magnesium into the RF thermal plasma discharge; and collecting or depositing the titanium metal at a temperature not lower than the boiling point of magnesium chloride and not higher than the boiling point of the titanium metal.

A process and apparatus for synthesizing a nanopowder is presented. In particular, a process for the synthesis of nanopowders of various materials such as metals, alloys, ceramics and composites by induction plasma technology, using organometallic compounds, chlorides, bromides, fluorides, iodides, nitrites, nitrates, oxalates and carbonates as precursors is disclosed. The process comprises feeding a reactant material into a plasma torch in which is generated a plasma flow having a temperature sufficiently high to yield a superheated vapor of the material; transporting said vapor by means of the plasma flow into a quenching zone; injecting a cold quench gas into the plasma flow in the quenching zone to form a renewable gaseous cold front; and forming a nanopowder at the interface between the renewable gaseous cold front and the plasma flow.

Induction plasma synthesis of nanopowders

A process for synthesizing metal nanopowders by introducing metal carbonyl into an induction plasma torch. By taking advantage of the much lower dissolution temperature of carbonyl as opposed to the high melting temperature of conventional metal powder feeds less torch power is required. Moreover, in contrast to current powder production techniques utilizing electrode based plasma torches, the induction plasma torch does not introduce contaminants into the nanopowder.

Method producing metal nanopowders by decompositon of metal carbonyl using an induction plasma torch

The process for the synthesis of rhenium powders comprises the injection of ammonium perrhenate powder through a carrier gas in a plasma torch of a plasma reactor operated using a mixture including hydrogen as the plasma gas, yielding metallic rhenium under the following chemical reaction:2NHReO+4H&#x2192;2Re+N&#x2191;+8HO&#x2191;.The reactor is provided with a quench zone for cooling the metallic rhenium so as to yield rhenium nano and micro powders.

Apparatus for plasma synthesis of rhenium nano and micro powders

The process for the synthesis of rhenium powders comprises the injection of ammonium perrhenate powder through a carrier gas in a plasma torch of a plasma reactor operated using a mixture including hydrogen as the plasma gas, yielding metallic rhenium under the following chemical reaction:2 NHReO+4 H&#x2192;2 Re+N&#x2191;+8 HO&#x2191;.The reactor is provided with a quench zone for cooling the metallic rhenium so as to yield rhenium nano and micro powders.

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Sherbrooke, Canada

Jiayin Guo