IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,859,266

Granted Patent B2

US 11,859,266 · App. 17/681,424 · Granted Jan 2, 2024

Castable high temperature nickel-rare earth element alloys

Inventors: Scott K. McCall (Livermore, CA); Alexander Baker (Pleasanton, CA); Hunter B. Henderson (Livermore, CA); Tian Li (Pleasanton, CA); Aurelien Perron (Pleasanton, CA); Zachary Cole Sims (Knoxville, TN); David Weiss (Manitowoc, WI); Ryan T. Ott (Ames, IA); Orlando Rios (Knoxville, TN); Max Neveau (Knoxville, TN)

Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC; Eck Industries, Inc.; Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.; University of Tennessee Research Foundation; UT-Battelle, LLC

C22C19/055 C22C1/023

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,859,266
App. No.: 17/681,424
Granted: Jan 2, 2024
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A product includes a material having: nickel and at least one rare earth element. The at least one rare earth element is present in the material in a weight percentage in a range of about 2% to about 20% relative to a total weight of the material. A method includes forming a material comprising an alloy of nickel and at least one rare earth element. The at least one rare earth element is present in the material in a weight percentage in a range of about 2% to about 20% relative to a total weight of the material.

Claims (88)

1. A product, comprising a material having:

nickel; and

at least one rare earth element, wherein the at least one rare earth element is present in the material in a weight percentage in a range of about 2% to about 20% relative to a total weight of the material,

wherein the material is characterized as having a feature selected from the group consisting of: dendrites in the material with an average spacing between the dendrites in a range of about 0.5 microns to about 30 microns, cellular dendrites in the material with an average spacing between the cellular dendrites in a range of about 0.05 microns to about 2 microns, and disconnected rare-earth-containing intermetallic particles in the material with an average intermetallic particle spacing in a range of about 0.05 microns to about 5 micron.

2. The product of claim 1 , wherein the material is characterized as having the dendrites and/or the cellular dendrites in the material.

3. The product of claim 1 , wherein the material is characterized as having the disconnected rare-earth-containing intermetallic particles in the material.

4. The product of claim 1 , wherein the material is characterized as retaining greater than 50% of the material's mechanical properties at 1000° C.

5. The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rare earth element is cerium (Ce).

6. The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rare earth element is selected from the group consisting of: cerium (Ce), scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

7. The product of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises at least two rare earth elements.

8. The product of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises at least one additional element selected from the group consisting of:

greater than 0% to about 40% iron (Fe) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 22% chromium (Cr) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% niobium (Nb) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 8% titanium (Ti) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 8% vanadium (V) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 15% aluminum (Al) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 8% molybdenum (Mo) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% manganese (Mn) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% tungsten (W) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% tantalum (Ta) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% rhenium (Re) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 6% ruthenium (Ru) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 18% cobalt (Co) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 0.2% carbon (C) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 2% boron (B) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 2% hafnium (Hf) relative to a total weight of the material,

greater than 0% to about 2% zirconium (Zr),

greater than 0% to about 2% scandium (Sc) relative to a total weight of the material, and

greater than 0% to about 18% platinum (Pt) relative to a total weight of the material.

9. A product, comprising a material having:

nickel; and

wherein the material is characterized as having a structure including a gamma prime phase characteristic of a reaction of the nickel with aluminum and/or titanium, wherein the gamma prime phase is in a phase mol % of about 0.5 mol % to about 15 mol % of the material.

10. A method, comprising:

forming a material comprising an alloy of nickel and at least one rare earth element, wherein the at least one rare earth element is present in the material in a weight percentage in a range of about 2% to about 20% relative to a total weight of the material,

wherein the forming includes a technique selected from the group consisting of: a rapid solidification technique, a casting technique, a coating technique, and a wrought technique,

wherein the material is characterized as having a feature selected from the group consisting of: dendrites in the material with an average spacing between the dendrites in a range of about 0.05 microns to about 30 microns, cellular dendrites in the material with an average spacing between the cellular dendrites in a range of about 0.05 microns to about 2 microns, and disconnected rare-earth-containing intermetallic particles in the material with an average intermetallic particle spacing in a range of about 0.05 microns to about 5 micron.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forming includes the rapid solidification technique, the rapid solidification technique being selected from the group consisting of: selective laser melting, additive manufacturing and gas atomization.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forming includes the casting technique, the casting technique being selected from the group consisting of: sand casting, investment casting, and directional solidification.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forming includes the wrought technique, the wrought technique being selected from the group consisting of: extrusion and forging.

14. The method of claim 10 , where the forming includes the coating technique, the coating technique being selected from the group consisting of: thermal spray, cold spray, physical vapor deposition, and pack cementation.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forming includes heating the nickel and the at least one rare earth element to form a liquified alloy of the nickel and the at least one rare earth element.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the forming includes cooling the material at a rate of less than about 500 K/s after the heating for forming domains in the material, wherein an average size of the domains is in a range of about 0.5 microns to about 30 microns.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the forming includes cooling the material at a rate of greater than about 500 K/s after heating to form the cellular dendrites in the material.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one rare earth element is cerium (Ce).

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one rare earth element is selected from the group consisting of: cerium (Ce), scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the material comprises at least two rare earth elements.

21. The method of claim 10 , wherein the material comprises at least one additional element selected from the group consisting of: