A method of making an amalgamation preform includes providing a particle-liquid mixture containing a plurality of types of solid particles and a liquid base metal. The plurality of types of solid particles at least includes reactive particles, reactable with the base metal, and non-reactive magnetic particles. A magnetic field is applied to the particle-liquid mixture to magnetically disperse the plurality of types of solid particles in the liquid base metal to form a particle-liquid dispersion without substantially inducing a reaction between the reactive particles and the liquid base metal. A playdough-like amalgamation preform is prepared based on the particle-liquid dispersion without solidifying the liquid base metal.

A soft magnetic metal particle comprises an Fe—Ni based soft magnetic metal. The soft magnetic metal particle includes both an fcc phase and a bcc phase. A magnetic element body includes the soft magnetic metal particle. A coil-type electronic component includes the magnetic element body and a coil conductor.

A coil component includes a magnetic portion that includes metal particles and a resin material, a coil conductor embedded in the magnetic portion and having a core portion, and outer electrodes electrically connected to the coil conductor. The magnetic portion includes a magnetic outer coating and a magnetic base having a protrusion portion. The coil conductor is disposed on the magnetic base such that the protrusion portion is located in the core portion. The magnetic outer coating is disposed so as to cover the coil conductor, and the bottom surface of the magnetic base includes a recessed portion in an area opposite to the protrusion portion.

An electronic component includes an element body made of a composite material of a resin material and metal powder. A plurality of particles of the metal powder are exposed from the resin material and make contact with one another on the outer surface of the element

A method of making an amalgamation preform includes providing a particle-liquid mixture containing a plurality of types of solid particles and a liquid base metal. The plurality of types of solid particles at least includes reactive particles, reactable with the base metal, and non-reactive magnetic particles. A magnetic field is applied to the particle-liquid mixture to magnetically disperse the plurality of types of solid particles in the liquid base metal to form a particle-liquid dispersion without substantially inducing a reaction between the reactive particles and the liquid base metal. A playdough-like amalgamation preform is prepared based on the particle-liquid dispersion without solidifying the liquid base metal.

A soft magnetic powder composition for an inductor core comprises 60 to 80 wt % Fe—Ni alloy powder, 5 to 25 wt % Fe—Si alloy powder, and 10 to 30 wt % Fe—Si—Al alloy powder based on a total alloy powder and a method of manufacturing the inductor uses the soft magnetic powder composition.

A system and method for visually enhancing an original image of an eye includes a visualization module. A controller is configured to convert an output of the visualization module to a first pixel cloud in a first color space and map the first pixel cloud to a second pixel cloud in a second color space. The method includes identifying at least one selected zone in the second color space. The controller is configured to move the selected zone from an original location to a modified location in the second color space. The second pixel cloud is updated to obtain a modified second pixel cloud, which is transformed into a third pixel cloud in the first color space. An enhanced image is formed based in part on the modified second pixel cloud and provides selective visual enhancement in the selected zone without affecting contrast in a remainder of the original image.

An amalgamation preform is provided. The amalgamation preform includes a base metal, and a plurality of types of solid particles dispersed in the base metal, the base metal including one of a liquid base metal and a solid base metal. The plurality of types of solid particles at least includes: non-reactive magnetic particles, responsive to a magnetic field for controllably dispersing the plurality of types of solid particles in the base metal, and reactive particles, reactable with the base metal under the magnetic field.

The method is: a preparation step in which a magnetic metal source, a nucleating agent, a complexing agent, a reducing agent, and a pH adjusting agent are prepared as starting materials; a crystallization step in which a reaction liquid that includes the starting materials and water is prepared, and a crystallized powder that includes the magnetic metals is made to crystallize in the reaction liquid by a reduction reaction; and a recovery step in which the crystallized powder is recovered from the reaction liquid. The magnetic metal source includes a water-soluble iron salt and a water-soluble nickel salt, the nucleating agent is a water-soluble salt of a metal that is more noble than nickel, and the complexing agent is at least one type of substance selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy carboxylic acid, a salt of a hydroxy carboxylic acid, and a derivative of a hydroxy carboxylic acid.

Embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic structure and a magnetic structure used in a direct current (DC) to DC energy converter. The magnetic structure has an E-core and a plate, with the plate positioned in contact or in near contact with the post surfaces of the E-core. The E-core has a base, a no-winding leg, a transformer leg, and an inductor leg. The no-winding leg, the transformer leg, and the inductor leg are perpendicular and magnetically in contact with the base. The plate is a flat slab with lateral dimensions generally larger than its thickness. The plate has a plate nose that overlaps a top no-winding leg surface of the no-winding leg with a no-winding gap area to form a no-winding gap with a no-winding gap reluctance. The plate also has a plate end that overlaps a top inductor leg surface of the inductor leg with an inductor gap area to form an inductor gap with an inductor gap reluctance. In some embodiments, e.g., where the duty cycle is less than 50 percent, the inductor gap reluctance will be designed to be less than the no-winding gap reluctance. In these cases, the majority of the magnetic flux that passes through the transformer leg will return through the inductor leg, instead of through the no-winding leg. The inductor and no-winding gap reluctances can he adjusted, so that the electromotive force applied to a charge passing through the inductor will partially cancel the electromotive force applied by the transformer secondary. The gap reluctance ratio can be defined, so that the difference in secondary and inductor electromotive forces is equal to the output voltage defined by an optimal no-ripple duty cycle. In this way no changing current is required through the inductor to create a dI/dt inductive voltage drop across the output inductor. Zero output current ripple is achieved. Various embodiments of the plate, plate shape, and no-winding leg are disclosed. These embodiments allow achieving a high ratio of no-winding gap reluctance to inductor gap reluctance, for practical, affordable magnetic material structures and aspect ratios. A high gap reluctance ratio enables zero output current ripple for the high transformer turns ratios that are needed to achieve high input to output voltage ratios. The embodiments therefore allow achieving low output current ripple for 48 V or higher input voltages, 1 V or lower output voltages, and high output currents.