Patent ID: 9278391
Filing Date: 2016-03-08
CPC Classification: B22F

Claim Text:
1. The method of producing nano-metal powder below a melting point of a process metal using a disproportionation process, comprising: providing a process metal to be processed into a nano-metal powder; selecting a metal halide of the process metal in order to expose the selected metal halide to the process metal; placing the process metal and selected metal halide in a controlled environment so that vapor from the selected metal halide can contacts and reacts with the process metal; heating the selected metal halide to a selected temperature to achieve vaporization of the selected metal halide at a desired vapor pressure, wherein the selected temperature controls the evaporation rate of the selected metal halide and the rate the nano-metal powder is formed; heating the process metal to a temperature below the melting point of the process metal; and providing contact between the vapor of the selected metal halide and the process metal to form the nano-metal powder and reform the selected metal halide.