Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Felter
Thomas E. Felter has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11376657Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for making a nanoporous material, comprising aerosolizing a solution comprising at least one metal salt and at least one solvent to obtain an aerosol, freezing the aerosol to obtain a frozen aerosol, and drying the frozen aerosol to obtain a nanoporous metal compound material. Further, the nanoporous metal compound material can be reduced to obtain a nanoporous metal material.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2018Date of Patent: July 5, 2022Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLCInventors: Michael Bagge-Hansen, Patrick G. Campbell, Jeffrey Colvin, Sergei Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 10399053Abstract: Described here is a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) a porous three-dimensional scaffold comprising one or more of carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, and (b) metal nanoparticles disposed on said porous scaffold, wherein the metal-carbon composite has a density of 1 g/cm3 or less, and wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 1 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite. Also described are methods for making the metal-carbon composite.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLCInventors: Marcus A. Worsley, Joe H. Satcher, Jr., Sergei Kucheyev, Supakit Charnvanichborikarn, Jeffrey D. Colvin, Thomas E. Felter, Sangil Kim, Matthew Merrill, Christine A. Orme
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Publication number: 20190085478Abstract: Ultralow density ionic material foams, with density approaching 0.1% of the bulk density, and synthesis methods using interconnected metallic nanowires are provided. Nanowires of various sizes and metals are dispersed into a freezable liquid through a suitable fluid exchange. Surface treatments ensure that nanowires remain sufficiently metallic and physically separated. Wire-liquid solutions can be dropped directly into liquid nitrogen in the form of droplets or placed into molds of various shapes. A freeze drying technique is employed to turn the resulting ice-wire mixture into a freestanding, low-density foam composed of interlocked nanowires. Sintering or oxidation and reduction treatment of the foam material at elevated temperatures is used to connect the nanowires into an interconnected metallic foam. Metals of the metal foams are then processed into ionic materials including oxides, nitrides, chlorides, hydrides, fluorides, iodides and carbides.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2018Publication date: March 21, 2019Applicants: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LAWERENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC, NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLCInventors: Edward C. Burks, Dustin A. Gilbert, Kai Liu, Sergei O. Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter, Jeffrey D. Colvin
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Publication number: 20180354030Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for making a nanoporous material, comprising aerosolizing a solution comprising at least one metal salt and at least one solvent to obtain an aerosol, freezing the aerosol to obtain a frozen aerosol, and drying the frozen aerosol to obtain a nanoporous metal compound material. Further, the nanoporous metal compound material can be reduced to obtain a nanoporous metal material.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2018Publication date: December 13, 2018Applicants: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLCInventors: Michael Bagge-Hansen, Patrick G. Campbell, Jeffrey Colvin, Sergei Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter
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Publication number: 20180311737Abstract: Ultralow density pure metal foams, with density approaching 0.1% of the bulk density, and synthesis methods using interconnected metallic nanowires are provided. Nanowires of various sizes and metals are synthesized by electrodeposition into nanoporous templates such as anodized aluminum oxide or polycarbonate. The templates are etched away and the nanowires are dispersed into water through a suitable fluid exchange. Surface treatments ensure that nanowires remain sufficiently metallic and physically separated. Wire-water solutions can be dropped directly into liquid nitrogen in the form of droplets or placed into molds of various shapes. A freeze drying technique is employed to turn the resulting ice-wire mixture into a freestanding, low-density foam composed of interlocked nanowires. Finally, sintering or oxidation and reduction treatment of the foam material at elevated temperatures is used to connect the nanowires into an interconnected metallic foam, greatly improving the strength of the structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2018Publication date: November 1, 2018Applicants: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LAWERENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC, NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLCInventors: Edward C. Burks, Dustin A. Gilbert, Kai Liu, Sergei O. Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter, Jeffrey D. Colvin
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Patent number: 10086431Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for making a nanoporous material, comprising aerosolizing a solution comprising at least one metal salt and at least one solvent to obtain an aerosol, freezing the aerosol to obtain a frozen aerosol, and drying the frozen aerosol to obtain a nanoporous metal compound material. Further, the nanoporous metal compound material can be reduced to obtain a nanoporous metal material.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2015Date of Patent: October 2, 2018Assignees: Lawrence Livermoe National Security, LLC, National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLCInventors: Michael Bagge-Hansen, Patrick G. Campbell, Jeffrey D. Colvin, Sergei Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter
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Publication number: 20170312725Abstract: Described here is a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) a porous three-dimensional scaffold comprising one or more of carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, and (b) metal nanoparticles disposed on said porous scaffold, wherein the metal-carbon composite has a density of 1 g/cm3 or less, and wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 1 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite. Also described are methods for making the metal-carbon composite.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2017Publication date: November 2, 2017Applicant: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLCInventors: Marcus A. Worsley, Joe H. Satcher, JR., Sergei Kucheyev, Supakit Charnvanichborikarn, Jeffrey D. Colvin, Thomas E. Felter, Sangil Kim, Matthew Merrill, Christine A. Orme
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Publication number: 20160368047Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for making a nanoporous material, comprising aerosolizing a solution comprising at least one metal salt and at least one solvent to obtain an aerosol, freezing the aerosol to obtain a frozen aerosol, and drying the frozen aerosol to obtain a nanoporous metal compound material. Further, the nanoporous metal compound material can be reduced to obtain a nanoporous metal material.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2015Publication date: December 22, 2016Inventors: Michael Bagge-Hansen, Patrick G. Campbell, Jeffrey D. Colvin, Sergei Kucheyev, Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 7700041Abstract: A system for indirectly detecting a radiation source by directly detecting radiolytic products. The radiation source emits radiation and the radiation produces the radiolytic products. A fluid is positioned to receive the radiation from the radiation source. When the fluid is irradiated, radiolytic products are produced. By directly detecting the radiolytic products, the radiation source is detected.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2005Date of Patent: April 20, 2010Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLCInventors: Joseph C. Farmer, Larry E. Fischer, Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 6633041Abstract: An improved quadrupole mass spectrometer is described. The improvement lies in the substitution of the conventional hot filament electron source with a cold cathode field emitter array which in turn allows operating a small QMS at much high internal pressures then are currently achievable. By eliminating of the hot filament such problems as thermally “cracking” delicate analyte molecules, outgassing a “hot” filament, high power requirements, filament contamination by outgas species, and spurious em fields are avoid all together. In addition, the ability of produce FEAs using well-known and well developed photolithographic techniques, permits building a QMS having multiple redundancies of the ionization source at very low additional cost.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2002Date of Patent: October 14, 2003Assignee: Sandia National LaboratoriesInventor: Thomas E. Felter
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Publication number: 20030015658Abstract: An improved quadrupole mass spectrometer is described. The improvement lies in the substitution of the conventional hot filament electron source with a cold cathode field emitter array which in turn allows operating a small QMS at much high internal pressures then are currently achievable. By eliminating of the hot filament such problems as thermally “cracking” delicate analyte molecules, outgassing a “hot” filament, high power requirements, filament contamination by outgas species, and spurious em fields are avoid all together. In addition, the ability of produce FEAs using well-known and well developed photolithographic techniques, permits building a QMS having multiple redundancies of the ionization source at very low additional cost.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2002Publication date: January 23, 2003Inventor: Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 6452167Abstract: An improved quadrupole mass spectrometer is described. The improvement lies in the substitution of the conventional hot filament electron source with a cold cathode field emitter array which in turn allows operating a small QMS at much high internal pressures then are currently achievable. By eliminating of the hot filament such problems as thermally “cracking” delicate analyte molecules, outgassing a “hot” filament, high power requirements, filament contamination by outgas species, and spurious em fields are avoid all together. In addition, the ability of produce FEAs using well-known and well developed photolithographic techniques, permits building a QMS having multiple redundancies of the ionization source at very low additional cost.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 1999Date of Patent: September 17, 2002Assignee: Sandia National LaboratoriesInventor: Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 6444256Abstract: Nanometer-size wires having a cross-sectional dimension of less than 8 nm with controllable lengths and diameters are produced by infiltrating latent nuclear or ion tracks formed in trackable materials with atomic species. The trackable materials and atomic species are essentially insoluble in each other, thus the wires are formed by thermally driven, self-assembly of the atomic species during annealing, or re-crystallization, of the damage in the latent tracks. Unlike conventional ion track lithography, the inventive method does not require etching of the latent tracks.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 1999Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: The Regents of the University of CaliforniaInventors: Ronald G. Musket, Thomas E. Felter
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Patent number: 5857882Abstract: This method produces a field emitter material having a uniform electron emitting surface and a low turn-on voltage. Field emitter materials having uniform electron emitting surfaces as large as 1 square meter and turn-on voltages as low as 16V/.mu.m can be produced from films of electron emitting materials such as polycrystalline diamond, diamond-like carbon, graphite and amorphous carbon by the method of the present invention. The process involves conditioning the surface of a field emitter material by applying an electric field to the surface, preferably by scanning the surface of the field emitter material with an electrode maintained at a fixed distance of at least 3 .mu.m above the surface of the field emitter material and at a voltage of at least 500V. In order to enhance the uniformity of electron emission the step of conditioning can be preceeded by ion implanting carbon, nitrogen, argon, oxygen or hydrogen into the surface layers of the field emitter material.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 1996Date of Patent: January 12, 1999Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Lawrence S. Pam, Thomas E. Felter, Alec Talin, Douglas Ohlberg, Ciaran Fox, Sung Han