To provide a Ni ball having a low α dose and high sphericity even when it contains impurity elements other than Ni in certain amounts. The Ni ball contains an element U, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, and an element Th, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, wherein a purity of the Ni ball is 99.9% or more but 99.995% or less, an α dose thereof is 0.0200 cph/cm.sup.2 or less, a content of either Pb or Bi, or a total content of both Pb and Bi is 1 ppm or more, and a sphericity thereof is 0.90 or more, in order to prevent any software errors and reduce connection failure.

The present invention discloses a non-thermal plasma treatment of metal powders in order to improve their processability by additive manufacturing (AM). The invention consists in bonding primary particles constituted of metals or metal alloys to a plurality of secondary particles constituted of metals, metal alloys, ceramics or polymers by the mean of a non-thermal plasma treatment. The primary particles have a larger mean diameter than the secondary. Both particles are injected through a non-thermal plasma glow discharge and/or in its afterglow region (region downstream the plasma discharge) where their surfaces are cleaned by removing contaminants and/or oxide layer and activated to react between each other. The functionalized metal powders are then collected and afterwards processed by AM leading to high quality parts. The functionalized metal powders produced by this plasma treatment improve the processability of metal by AM. Indeed, decreasing the reflectivity, removing contaminant and oxide layer, enhancing the isotropic solidification of melted materials and decreasing the sintering temperature enhance the efficiency of powder based AM processes.

A composition suitable for 3D printing in the form of a filament that includes 45 to 60% (v/v) of a metal and/or ceramic powder; 7% to 25% (v/v) of a binder; and at least 5% (v/v) of a mixture of medium and high vinyl acetate proportion poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate). Also, a filament coil, a 3D printing machine, a green shaped body and a shaped body having the composition. Lastly, a method for 3D printing by using the composition.

The invention involves producing discontinuous, flake-shaped particles of a soft magnetic material, coating the flake-shaped particles with an electrically insulating coating, and consolidating the coated flaked-shaped particles to form a soft magnetic bulk shape. The consolidated bulk shape can comprise a layer or a simple or complex 3D magnet part shape, which has a consolidated layered microstructure that includes laminated soft magnetic regions that are substantially encapsulated by an electrical insulating layer to increase the resistivity of soft magnetic material, especially when used in silicon iron magnet parts.

A method of producing flakes containing nanostructures from a part made of a material. The method includes subjecting the part made of the material to peening by shots driven by ultrasonic energy for a period of time, wherein nano structures form on the surface of the part and, subsequently, damage to the part caused by continued peening of the part by the shots driven by ultrasonic energy results in separation of flakes containing nanostructures from the part made of the material. Nanocrystalline flakes containing fractured surfaces, microcracks, nanograins and nanolamellae. Sensors comprising nanocrystalline flakes containing fractured surfaces, microcracks, nanograins and nanolamellae.

The invention relates to powder metallurgy, in particular to a method for metallothermal reduction of feedstock elements made from feedstock being a solid solution of oxides of various elements in titanium oxide, using magnesium and/or calcium as reducing agents. Processes include hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of a titanium-containing salt to obtain primary particles of crystalline titanium oxide, calcination of a precipitate of titanium oxides/hydroxides, formation of feedstock elements from a milled powder of a solid solution of dopants in titanium oxide, reduction of feedstock elements in one step using calcium metal or reduction of feedstock elements in two steps, using magnesium metal or calcium metal in the first step, and calcium metal in the second step. The aim of the invention is to produce alloy powders of titanium metal with a particularly low oxygen content.

The invention relates to powder metallurgy, in particular to a method for metallothermal reduction of feedstock elements made from feedstock being a solid solution of oxides of various elements in titanium oxide, using magnesium and/or calcium as reducing agents. Processes include hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of a titanium-containing salt to obtain primary particles of crystalline titanium oxide, calcination of a precipitate of titanium oxides/hydroxides, formation of feedstock elements from a milled powder of a solid solution of dopants in titanium oxide, reduction of feedstock elements in one step using calcium metal or reduction of feedstock elements in two steps, using magnesium metal or calcium metal in the first step, and calcium metal in the second step. The aim of the invention is to produce alloy powders of titanium metal with a particularly low oxygen content.

Provided is a porous silver powder and a preparation method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to porous silver powder that is easy to prepare, improves a sterilization effect because an specific surface area and a porosity are easily adjustable, improves electrical conductivity when molded as sintered body, contributes to reducing use of expensive silver when applied in various industrial fields, thus achieving price competitiveness, and is harmless to the human body because a particle size is adjustable to prevent the porous silver powder from being absorbed into the body; and a preparation method thereof.

A raw material for thixomolding includes a magnesium-based alloy powder which contains calcium in an amount of 0.2 mass % or more and 5 mass % or less and aluminum in an amount of 2.5 mass % or more and 12 mass % or less, wherein the magnesium-based alloy powder includes an oxide layer which has an average thickness of 30 nm or more and 100 nm or less and contains at least one of calcium and aluminum as an outermost layer. The average dendrite secondary arm spacing of crystal structures of the magnesium-based alloy powder is preferably 5 μm or less.

Disclosed are a cold storage material and a cold storage type cryogenic refrigerator using same. The cold storage material is tin alloy particles, the content of tin in the tin alloy particle is not less than 40% and not more than 99%, and the cold storage material at least includes one component of bismuth, antimony, silver and gold. The cold storage type cryogenic refrigerator includes a cold storage device, and the cold storage material filled in the cold storage device is tin alloy particles, is lead-free, lowly toxic, easy in spherization and extremely accessible and has a relatively good thermal performance, has properties comparable to those of lead, and has a relatively good heat exchange performance when being used in a cold storage type refrigerator.