Method and apparatus for preparing coated particles

• Main Author: DAVID WILLIAM BENT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.12.2014
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

A method of forming metal coated particles comprises the steps of: providing a source of base particles to be coated; providing a source of a metal-comprising coating particles; and feeding the base particles specified in step (a) and the source of metal comprising coating particles specified in step (b) into a continuous reactor including heat exchange means to cause contact of the base particles with the source of coating particles thereby to form the metal coated particles. The base particles may be selected from silicon, germanium, tin, aluminium, gallium, zinc etc. and the source of metal-coating particles may be selected from silver, copper, platinum, iron, cobalt, rhodium, vanadium, nickel, ruthenium, iridium and gold. The coated particles include a homogeneous coating and can be used in a variety of applications. Also shown is the meta-coated particle and the apparatus for performing the method.