A granulated material having an improved size distribution and a method and apparatus for the production of such a granular material where the grain size and grain size distribution is controlled by the use of a rotating distributor. The rotating distributor includes an upper inlet opening, sidewalls, a bottom and at least one row of openings at the lower end of the sidewalls. The openings in the sidewalls have a size of at least 5 mm in the smallest dimension.

Provided is an indeterminate copper material for electrolytic copper foil and a preparation method thereof. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to an indeterminate copper material for electrolytic copper foil, which exhibits excellent dissolution performance when dissolved in an electrolyte to manufacture electrolytic copper foil, contributes to securing work stability during the manufacture of electrolytic copper foil, and is simple to prepare, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, and a preparation method thereof.

Provided is an indeterminate copper material for electrolytic copper foil and a preparation method thereof. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to an indeterminate copper material for electrolytic copper foil, which exhibits excellent dissolution performance when dissolved in an electrolyte to manufacture electrolytic copper foil, contributes to securing work stability during the manufacture of electrolytic copper foil, and is simple to prepare, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, and a preparation method thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flaky metal pigment that is reduced in particle size. According to the flaky metal pigment of the present invention, in the case where the flaky metal pigment is measured by a flow-type particle image analyzer, P50 showing a 50% cumulative frequency of a diameter equivalent to an area circle in a number distribution is less than 0.500 m.

Selected is a composition containing a silver powder generating gaseous carbon dioxide, acetone vapor, and water vapor in a case where the silver powder is heated at 100 C., a stress relaxation body having a Young's modulus lower than a Young's modulus of a sintered body of the silver powder, and a solvent, in which a particle size distribution of primary particles of the silver powder has a first peak in a range of a particle size of 20 to 70 nm and a second peak in a range of a particle size of 200 to 500 nm, an organic substance in the silver powder is decomposed by 50% by mass or more at 150 C., and a mass ratio between the silver powder and the stress relaxation body is 99:1 to 60:40.

A manufacturing method of alloy powder comprises a liquid film forming step, a supplying step and a dividing step. In the liquid film forming step, a high speed fluid made of coolant liquid is shaped into a liquid film which has a predetermined thickness of 0.1 mm or more and receives a predetermined acceleration of 2.0?10.sup.4G or more along a thickness direction. In the supplying step, molten alloy which is not divided into a size of the predetermined thickness or less is supplied to the liquid film. In the dividing step, the molten alloy is divided into the size of the predetermined thickness or less by the high speed fluid to make alloy particles and keeping the alloy particles in the liquid film by the predetermined acceleration so that the alloy particles are continuously cooled in the high speed fluid.

A manufacturing method of alloy powder comprises a liquid film forming step, a supplying step and a dividing step. In the liquid film forming step, a high speed fluid made of coolant liquid is shaped into a liquid film which has a predetermined thickness of 0.1 mm or more and receives a predetermined acceleration of 2.0?10.sup.4G or more along a thickness direction. In the supplying step, molten alloy which is not divided into a size of the predetermined thickness or less is supplied to the liquid film. In the dividing step, the molten alloy is divided into the size of the predetermined thickness or less by the high speed fluid to make alloy particles and keeping the alloy particles in the liquid film by the predetermined acceleration so that the alloy particles are continuously cooled in the high speed fluid.

Described herein is a method of producing an alloy. The method includes pouring a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, separating the stream into discrete pieces, solidifying the discrete pieces by cooling before the discrete pieces contact any liquid or solid. Also described herein is another method of producing an alloy. This method includes pouring and solidifying a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy into a rod or pulling a rod from a molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, before the rod contacts any liquid or solid, separating the rod into discrete pieces. An apparatus suitable for carrying out the methods above can include a container from which the molten stream is poured or the solid rod extends, one or more coil, conductive plates, a laser source, or an electron beam source arranged around the molten stream or the solid rod and configured to separate the molten stream or the solid rod into discrete pieces.

Described herein is a method of producing an alloy. The method includes pouring a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, separating the stream into discrete pieces, solidifying the discrete pieces by cooling before the discrete pieces contact any liquid or solid. Also described herein is another method of producing an alloy. This method includes pouring and solidifying a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy into a rod or pulling a rod from a molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, before the rod contacts any liquid or solid, separating the rod into discrete pieces. An apparatus suitable for carrying out the methods above can include a container from which the molten stream is poured or the solid rod extends, one or more coil, conductive plates, a laser source, or an electron beam source arranged around the molten stream or the solid rod and configured to separate the molten stream or the solid rod into discrete pieces.

A manufacturing method of alloy powder includes shaping a flowing fluid made of coolant liquid into a liquid film which has a predetermined thickness between 0.1 mm and 15 mm by continuously supplying the coolant liquid from a nozzle onto an inner wall of a drum; applying a predetermined acceleration to the liquid film along a thickness direction of the liquid film, wherein the predetermined acceleration has a value between 2.010.sup.4 G and 1.010.sup.7 G; supplying the liquid film with molten alloy which is not divided into a size of the predetermined thickness or less; and dividing the molten alloy into the size of the predetermined thickness or less by the flowing fluid to make alloy particles, and keeping the alloy particles in the liquid film by the predetermined acceleration so that the alloy particles are continuously in contact with the flowing fluid so as to be cooled.