A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is equipped with a borate solution application system to either build support structures with a borate solution containing silica particles or to apply such a borate solution to a surface of a metal support structure prior to manufacture of a metal object feature that is supported by the support structure. The silica particles in the borate solution structure form a glassy, brittle structure on which the metal object feature is formed. This glassy, brittle structure is removed relatively easily from the object after the object is manufactured.

A method of forming one of a plurality of encapsulated crystalline particles includes feeding a coaxial feed wire downwardly such that a first wire end of the coaxial feed wire is positioned at a heating source. The coaxial feed wire includes a crystalline wire core, and an amorphous shell surrounding the crystalline wire core. The first end of the coaxial feed wire is heated at the heating source, thereby forming a molten pendant drop at the first wire end. The plurality of encapsulated crystalline particles are emitted from the molten pendant drop onto a collector located below the molten pendant drop.

Magnetic beads include: a magnetic metal powder; and a coating layer covering a surface of the magnetic metal powder. t/D50, which is a ratio of a thickness t of the coating layer to the magnetic beads diameter D50, is from 0.0001 to 0.05, and a Vickers hardness of the magnetic metal powder is 100 or more.

Some variations provide a system for producing a functionalized powder, comprising: an agitated pressure vessel; first particles and second particles contained within the agitated pressure vessel; a fluid contained within the agitated pressure vessel; an exhaust line for releasing the fluid from the agitated pressure vessel; and a means for recovering a functionalized powder containing the second particles disposed onto surfaces of the first particles. A preferred fluid is carbon dioxide in liquefied or supercritical form. The carbon dioxide may be initially loaded into the pressure vessel as solid carbon dioxide. The pressure vessel may be batch or continuous and is operated under reaction conditions to functionalize the first particles with the second particles, thereby producing a functionalized powder, such as nanofunctionalized metal particles in which nanoparticles act as grain refiners for a component ultimately produced from the nanofunctionalized metal particles. Methods for making the functionalized powder are also disclosed.

A magnetic bead contains: a Fe-based magnetic metal powder; and a coating layer with which a particle surface of the Fe-based magnetic metal powder is coated. The Fe-based magnetic metal powder contains a crystal grain having a grain diameter of 1 nm or more and 60 nm or less in a ratio of 30% by volume or more and 100% by volume or less. In addition, the coating layer may contain an oxide and has an average thickness of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less.

A dust core including soft magnetic metal particles and a grain boundary phase, wherein the grain boundary phase includes Si and Ti.

Disclosed herein is a method for reducing a metal oxide in a metal containing precursor. The method comprises providing a reaction mixture comprising the metal oxide containing precursorand an aluminium reductant; heating the reaction mixture in the presence of solid or gaseous aluminium chloride to temperature at which reactionsthatresultin the metal oxide being reduced are initiated; controlling reaction conditions whereby the reaction mixture is prevented from reaching a temperature at which thermal runaway can occur; and isolating reaction products that include reduced metal oxide.

A method of forming a nanoparticle can include admixing an aqueous solution into an oil-phase to thereby form an emulsion of droplets of the aqueous solution in the oil phase, the aqueous solution comprising a nanostructure precursor and a polymer, adding a silane precursor and catalyst to form a silica shell around each of the droplets to nanoreactors; annealing at a first temperature below the decomposition temperature of the polymer to aggregate the nanostructure precursor within the nanoreactor; and annealing at a second temperature above the decomposition temperature of the polymer to convert the aggregated nanostructure precursor to the nanostructure and decompose the polymer.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a magnetic powder, including: preparing a precursor solution containing an iron precursor and a silica precursor; spraying the precursor solution to form iron/silica precursor droplets; drying the iron/silica precursor droplets to produce iron/silica precursor particles; and heat treating the iron/silica precursor particles to produce an iron oxide/silica composite powder in which iron oxide particles are embedded in a silica matrix. The present invention also relates to a magnetic powder produced by the method. The present invention may provide an iron oxide magnetic powder that does not use rare earth elements and a method for producing the same.

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.