Patent ID: 6030507
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: C01B,C01G,C01P,H01B

Abstract:
In a process for making a crystalline solid-solution powder by reacting at least two reactants in a plasma arc of a plasma chamber provided with an inlet opening for the reactants and an outlet opening with a gas-supply unit to obtain a molten material, wherein a molten metal alloy is used as the first reactant and a gas as the second reactant, the improvement whereinindium-tin alloy is used as the first reactant and oxygen as the second reactant, and the crystalline solid solution powder has an electrical resistance of less than 100 .OMEGA.cm, comprisingblast-cooling the material reacted in the plasma arc at the outlet opening of the plasma chamber with a gas stream which has a velocity between 300 m/s and 500 m/s and which cools said material at a cooling rate in the range of 10.sup.5 K/s to 10.sup.8 K/s to a temperature of between 50.degree. C. and 400.degree. C., to produce a crystalline solid-solution powder containing at least 90 vol % of indium-tin-oxide crystalline solid-solution phase in a crystal lattice of indium oxide.