Alloy with selected electrical conductivity and atomic disorder, process for making and using same

US9951406B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce · US
• THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE DEPARMENT OF THE TREASURY · US

Inventors

• Eric A. Lass · Montgomery Village, US
• Mark R. Stoudt · Germantown, US
• Carelyn Campbell · Germantown, US
• Tsineng Tony Ying · Gaithersburg, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 13, 2015
• Grant date: Apr 24, 2018
• Expiry date: Jun 29, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C22C9/04
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A primary alloy includes: nickel; copper; zinc; an electrical conductivity from 5.2% International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) to 5.6% IACS measured in accordance with ASTM E1004-09 (2009); and a disordered crystalline phase wherein atoms of the nickel, cooper, and zinc are randomly arranged in the disordered crystalline phase at room temperature in a post-annealed state. A process for making the primary alloy includes heating a secondary alloy to a first temperature that is greater than or equal to an annealing temperature to form an annealing alloy, the secondary alloy including a secondary phase; and quenching, by cooling the annealing alloy from the first temperature to a second temperature that is less than the annealing temperature, under a condition effective to form the primary alloy including the disordered crystalline phase, wherein the disordered crystalline phase is different than the secondary phase of the secondary alloy.