Disclosed herein are systems and methods for synthesis of spheroidized metal or metal alloy powders using microwave plasma processing. In some embodiments, the metal or metal alloy may comprise a highly ductile, soft, and/or malleable metal or metal alloy such that machining of the metal or metal alloy is difficult or impossible. In some embodiments, a volatile material is dispersed within the metal or metal alloy feedstock to enable machining and pre-processing of the feedstock. In some embodiments, the dispersed volatile material alters the physical properties of the feedstock, such that the metal or metal alloy, which is difficult to machine due to high ductility, softness, and/or malleability, is easily machined in a pre-processing step. In some embodiments, the pre-processed feedstock, can be fed into a plasma processing apparatus. In some embodiments, the volatile material dispersed within the feedstock material may be vaporized upon exposure to the microwave plasma apparatus. In some embodiments, plasma processing of the pre-processed feedstock material may synthesize pure, spheroidized metal or metal alloy particles, with substantially no contamination of the volatile material ion the final product.

This invention provides low karat, low silver, 6 kt gold-copper-zinc alloys with acceptable workability that can be processed into wire, tube, sheet stock, or cast. The alloys are annealed at 1200° F., rapidly cooled, and heat treated at about 600° to 800° F., which increases the hardness and durability in finished parts made from these alloys. The alloys include grain refiners. The alloys are resistant to oxidation from sweat and tarnishing. Additional fabrication operations can form jewelry items such as balls, chain, hoops and studs.

This invention provides low karat, low silver, 6 kt gold-copper-zinc alloys with acceptable workability that can be processed into wire, tube, sheet stock, or cast. The alloys are annealed at 1200° F., rapidly cooled, and heat treated at about 600° to 800° F., which increases the hardness and durability in finished parts made from these alloys. The alloys include grain refiners. The alloys are resistant to oxidation from sweat and tarnishing. Additional fabrication operations can form jewelry items such as balls, chain, hoops and studs.

The present disclosure discloses use of a copper-chromium alloy in a medical biopsy puncture needle. The copper-chromium alloy used as a material for a needle core and/or needle tube of the puncture needle. The copper-chromium alloy includes the following components by mass: 10≤Cr≤20, 0.04≤Zr≤0.1, and the balance of Cu. According to the present disclosure, a copper alloy with designed components is obtained by combining a diamagnetic material Cu with paramagnetic Cr and Zr, and compared with existing medical stainless steel and titanium alloy, the copper alloy has greatly reduced magnetic susceptibility, and specifically, the artifact area and volume are also significantly reduced. In addition, the blank of use of the copper alloy in medical biopsy paracentesis is filled.

The present disclosure discloses use of a copper-chromium alloy in a medical biopsy puncture needle. The copper-chromium alloy used as a material for a needle core and/or needle tube of the puncture needle. The copper-chromium alloy includes the following components by mass: 10≤Cr≤20, 0.04≤Zr≤0.1, and the balance of Cu. According to the present disclosure, a copper alloy with designed components is obtained by combining a diamagnetic material Cu with paramagnetic Cr and Zr, and compared with existing medical stainless steel and titanium alloy, the copper alloy has greatly reduced magnetic susceptibility, and specifically, the artifact area and volume are also significantly reduced. In addition, the blank of use of the copper alloy in medical biopsy paracentesis is filled.

A dual phase magnetic component, along with methods of its formation, is provided. The dual phase magnetic component may include an intermixed first region and second region formed from a single material, with the first region having a magnetic area and a diffused metal therein, and with the second region having a non-magnetic area. The second region generally has greater than 0.1 weight % of nitrogen.

A method for making a three-dimensional hierarchical layered porous copper, the method includes providing a copper-zinc alloy precursor being composed of a β′ phase and a γ phase, and treating the copper-zinc alloy precursor by electrochemical dealloying. The present application further provides a three-dimensional hierarchical layered porous copper including a first surface layer, an intermediate layer, and a second surface layer stacked in that order. The first surface layer includes a plurality of micron-scale pores and a plurality of first nanoscale pores. The intermediate layer includes a plurality of second nanoscale pores. The second surface layer includes the plurality of micron-scale pores and the plurality of first nanoscale pores.

A high strength/highly conductive copper alloy plate material of the present invention contains silver in a range of 4% by mass or more and 13% by mass or less, and balancing copper and unavoidable impurities. In the high strength/highly conductive copper alloy plate material, a minimum value of a tensile strength (UTS) is 600 MPa or more and 1250 MPa or less, and a conductivity (% IACS) is 60% or more and 90% or less.

A high strength/highly conductive copper alloy plate material of the present invention contains silver in a range of 4% by mass or more and 13% by mass or less, and balancing copper and unavoidable impurities. In the high strength/highly conductive copper alloy plate material, a minimum value of a tensile strength (UTS) is 600 MPa or more and 1250 MPa or less, and a conductivity (% IACS) is 60% or more and 90% or less.

A pure copper sheet of the present invention has a composition including 99.96 mass % or more of Cu, 0.01 mass ppm or more and 3.00 mass ppm or less of P, 3.0 mass ppm or more of a total content of Ag and Fe, and inevitable impurities as a balance, in which an average crystal grain size of crystal grains on a rolled surface is 10 μm or more, and, in a case where a measurement area of 1 mm.sup.2 or more is measured by an EBSD method at measurement intervals of 5 μm steps, a measurement point where a CI value analyzed with data analysis software OIM is 0.1 or less is excluded, and a boundary where an orientation angle between adjacent pixels is 5° or more is regarded as a crystal grain boundary, a Kernel average misorientation (KAM) value is 1.50 or less.