Method for Forming Transition Metal Alloys

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Method for Forming Transition Metal Alloys For metals industry members who are dissatisfied with the time-consuming and cost of current melting processes. This technology is a new method of forming a transition metal alloy that provides an inexpensive and versatile process. Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this process for forming transition metal alloys. Overview: This technology is a method of forming a transition metal alloy. Metal alloys and coatings are currently being manufactured either by an energy-intensive melting process or a multi-step and time-consuming melting process. This approach offers initial steps towards developing a highly inexpensive manufacturing process for an array of engineering alloys and alloy coatings. The versatility of the new process lies in coating a variety of substrate materials, both metallic and non-metallic, including complex geometries. Description: This technology is a method of forming a transition metal alloy, such as a refractory metal alloy. The transition metal alloy is fabricated from a mixed oxide intermediate. Oxide precursors of the mixed oxide intermediate may be prepared by air sintering or by heating in a reductive environment. An inert metal wire of a first metal may be reacted with a reduced metal of a second metal, such as at a cathode, to form the transition metal alloy in situ. The refractory metal alloy may be used as a coating on a substrate or as a bulk alloy. The coating of the transition metal alloy may be prepared by reacting in situ the transition metal of a transition metal oxide with the metal or other element of the substrate. Benefits: Benefits include: More cost-effective Reduced carbon footprint Less harmful to environment Versatile to a variety of substrate materials Applications: Applications include: Metal Industry Metal Coatings Metal Powders Structural Materials Corrosion Coating Aerospace Automotive Biomedical (such as orthopedic) Development Status: Experiments have been performed, showing critical function and proof-of-concept. IP Status: US Patent Application No. 62/887,436, “Methods of Forming a Metal Alloy, Methods of Forming Rare Earth Elements, and Methods of Recovering a Metal from a Waste Material,” BEA Docket No. BA-1053 INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Kala Majeti at [email protected] or 248-877-8866.