Electrochemically expanded materials and reactor and method for producing the same

US11066303B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM · US

Inventors

• Thomas C. Achee · College Station, US
• Micah J. Green · College Station, US
• Charles Brandon Sweeney · Pflugerville, US
• Wanmei Sun · College Station, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 8, 2017
• Grant date: Jul 20, 2021
• Expiry date: Mar 14, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C01P2004/24
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Methods and reactors for electrochemically expanding a parent material and expanded parent materials are described. Current methods of expanding parent materials incompletely-expand parent material, requiring expensive and time-consuming separation of expanded parent material from unexpanded parent materials. This problem is addressed by the methods and reactor for electrochemically expanding a parent material described herein, which during operation maintain electrical connectivity between the parent material and an electrical power source. The resulting materials described herein have a greater proportion of expanded parent material relative to unexpanded parent material compared to those made according to others methods.