Process of dry milling particulate materials
Graphene platelet nano composites with metal or metal oxides. The coated and composited particles are useful as electrodes and for electrical applications.
1. A process of dry milling particulate materials, said process comprising:
loading at least one layered particulate material into a grinding container;
loading a non-layered particulate material into the grinding container; and
milling the particulate materials with a plastic milling media having a Brinell hardness of 3 to 100 inside the grinding container;
wherein said milling exfoliates the at least one layered particulate material to obtain an exfoliated material having a particle size of 10 microns or less by 5 nm thick or less; and
wherein said milling composites the non-layered particulate material with the exfoliated material.
2. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-layered material is selected from the group consisting essentially of:
i. a particulate metal and,
ii. a particulate metal oxide.
3. The process as claimed in claim 2 wherein the particulate metals are selected from the group consisting essentially of:
i. silicon,
ii. tin,
iii. iron,
iv. magnesium,
v. manganese,
vi. aluminum,
vii. lead,
viii. gold,
ix. silver,
x. titanium,
xi. platinum,
xii. palladium,
xiii. ruthenium,
xiv. copper,
xv. nickel,
xvi. rhodium, and,
xvii. alloys of any of i. to xvi.
4. The process as claimed in claim 2 wherein the particulate metal oxides are selected from the group consisting essentially of oxides of:
i. silicon,
ii. tin,
iii. iron,
iv. magnesium,
v. manganese,
vi. aluminum,
vii. lead,
viii. gold,
ix. silver,
x. titanium,
xi. platinum,
xii. palladium,
xiii. ruthenium,
xiv. copper,
xv. nickel,
xvi. rhodium, and
xvii. alloys of any of i. to xvi.
5. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the layered material is graphite.
6. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the milling media has a surface energy essentially equivalent to the surface energy of the layered material.
7. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the exfoliated material has an aspect ratio of greater than about 25.
8. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the exfoliated material has an aspect ratio of from 5 to 200.
9. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the exfoliated material has a size in the range of from 50 nm to 10 microns.
10. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the exfoliated material has a thickness of from 1 nm to 5 nm.
11. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plastic is selected from the group consisting essentially of:
i. polymethylmethacrylate,
ii. polycarbonate,
iii. polystyrene,
iv. polyethylene,
v. polyethylene,
vi. polytetrafluorothylene,
vii. polyethyleneimide,
viii. polyvinylchloride,
ix. polyamine-imide, and,
x. alloys of any of i. to ix.
12. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particulate non-layered material has a size less than 100 microns.
13. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particulate are metal carbides.
14. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particulate materials are metal nitrides.