The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 18, 2014
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2011
André Studart, Zürich, CH;
Randall M. Erb, Zürich, CH;
Rafael Libanori, Zürich, CH;
ETH Zurich, Zurich, CH;
Abstract
A method for making a composite material with non-spherical reinforcing particles embedded in a matrix, is disclosed. In this method, in a first step magnetic and/or superparamagnetic nanoparticles are attached to the non-spherical reinforcing particles, in a second step the resulting reinforcing particles are introduced into a liquid matrix material and/or a liquid matrix-precursor material, and in a third step the material of the matrix is solidified and/or polymerized and/or cross-linked. In accordance with the proposed invention prior to and/or during solidification and/or polymerization and/or cross-linking of the matrix material or the matrix precursor material, respectively, a magnetic field is applied so as to align the reinforcing particles in the matrix and this alignment is fixed in the matrix during and after the third step, wherein the non-spherical reinforcing particles preferably have a length (l) in one dimension of at least 0.5 μm and wherein the weight ratio of the nano-particles to the non-spherical reinforcing particles is below 0.25.