Provided is a method of producing pellets of a graphene-polymer composite, the method comprising: (a) mixing multiple particles of a graphitic material and multiple particles of a solid polymer carrier material to form a mixture in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; (b) operating the energy impacting apparatus with a frequency and an intensity for a length of time sufficient for peeling off graphene sheets from the graphitic material particles and transferring the graphene sheets to surfaces of the solid polymer carrier material particles to produce graphene-coated polymer particles inside the impacting chamber; and (c) feeding multiple graphene-coated polymer particles into an extruder to produce filaments of an extruded graphene-polymer composite and operating a cutter or pelletizer to cut the filaments into pellets of graphene-polymer composite. The process is fast (hours as opposed to days of conventional processes), environmentally benign, cost effective, and highly scalable.

Apparatus to deliver predetermined forces, containers to hold particulate material and media, media, and the associated parameters for operating such equipment along with methods and compositions provided by the apparatus and methods.

In one aspect, methods of milling carbide are described herein. A method of milling carbide comprises placing a particulate composition comprising carbide in a vessel containing milling media and placing an additive in the vessel, the additive undergoing evaporation or sublimation to provide a non-oxidative atmosphere in the vessel. The carbide particles are comminuted with the milling media in the non-oxidative atmosphere.

A method is disclosed for crushing material to be ground with a mill which contains a grinding chamber which is connected to a feed for material to be ground and to an outlet for ground particles, and contains grinding devices for producing particles of the desired fineness from the fed material to be ground, wherein the grinding takes place in a reducing atmosphere which contains a reduction gas. Also disclosed, is a mill having a grinding chamber which is connected to a feed for material to be ground and to an outlet for ground particles, and contains grinding devices for producing particles of the desired fineness from the fed material to be ground, wherein the grinding chamber contains a reducing atmosphere in which the grinding takes place and which contains a reduction gas.

One embodiment of a media handling system (5) is disclosed for mixing and or entraining grinding media (15) with a liquid media (10) for supply to a selected destination (D). In one form, the system (5) comprises a first media transfer module (30) configured operable for providing a flow of liquid media (10) having a respective flow condition to a first inlet (11) by way of which liquid media is receivable by the system (5). The system (5) comprises a second media transfer module (25) arranged in fluid communication with and downstream of both of the first inlet (11) and a second inlet (16) by way of which grinding media (15) is receivable by the system (5). The second media transfer module (25) is configured operable for supplying to the selected destination (D) a mixed flow of liquid and grinding media having a respective flow condition. In operation, one or both of the first (30) and second media transfer modules (25) are configured operable relative to the other for modifying one or both of the respective flow conditions so as to be operable or cooperable for facilitating a drawing or urging of a flow of the grinding media (15) into the system (5) via the second inlet (16) for controllably modifying a concentration of grinding media in the mixed flow of liquid and grinding media so as to converge toward and or substantially maintain a target concentration of grinding media (15) determined to be suitable for enabling supply of the mixed flow to the selected destination (D) by the second media transfer module (25).

An aqueous slurry that is useful upon being spray dried for the formation of a powder of hard material. The aqueous slurry includes starting powder components of the hard material. The slurry further includes an oxidation inhibitor, a surfactant in an amount between about 0.05 weight percent and about 0.30 weight percent of the weight of the starting powder components of the hard material, a binder, a defoamer and water in an between about 15 weight percent and about 30 weight percent of the weight of the weight of the starting powder components of the hard material. The aqueous slurry has a percent solids value that is between about 70 percent and about 85 percent.

Apparatus and system of components to mechanically exfoliate particulate materials using a multi-axis approach to deliver predetermined forces to a particulate material, including containers to hold particulate material and media, also including media, and, the associated parameters for operating such equipment along with methods and compositions provided by the apparatus and methods.

In some embodiments, a gravity aided grinding mill apparatus may include an intake for receiving a grinding media and a grindable material. A first elongated runner may be in communication with the intake, and a first doubleback coupling may be in communication with the first elongated runner. Grinding media and grindable material may travel in a first direction across the first elongated runner into the first doubleback coupling and the first doubleback coupling may change the direction of travel of grinding media and grindable material into a second direction. A second elongated runner may be in communication with the first doubleback coupling, and the second elongated runner may receive the grinding media and grindable material traveling in the second direction from the first doubleback coupling. The grinding media and grindable material may be communicated from an output and across a grizzly screen.

A process for purifying a solid that has a contaminant adhered to a surface of the solid includes passing the solid through a mechanical agitator, agitating the solid comprising the contaminant adhered to the surface of the solid in the mechanical agitator, removing at least a portion of the contaminant from the surface of the solid based on the agitating to form a purified solid, and removing the purified solid from the mechanical agitator.

A laboratory mill is shown and described with at least one oscillatably mounted grinding bowl holder for at least one grinding bowl and with at least one line for transporting a liquid or gaseous medium, the line having at least one compensating element for compensating relative movements between the grinding bowl holder and/or the grinding bowl and a stationary part of the laboratory mill. In accordance with the invention, a rigid compensating element is provided for compensating relative movements, wherein the compensating element is elastically deformed at least in regions during an oscillating movement of the grinding bowl holder and wherein the compensation of relative movements is effected free of parts of the compensating element connected to one another so as to be movable, in particular rotatable and/or pivotable, relative to one another and only by elastic deformation of the compensating element.