A composite film and method of manufacturing the same

Claim 2

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the matter carried into the gaseous plasma is converted into an at least partially ionized vapour state in the gaseous plasma.

Claim 3

A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the matter comprises fine solid or liquid, preferably solid, particles, which are suspended in a gaseous substance for being conveyed into the plasma.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said gaseous substance also provides at least one film forming element.

Claim 7

A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the radio frequency electric field is applied to the plasma forming gas by a coil arranged around a plasma containing vessel.

Claim 9

A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein ions or radicals present in the matter are preserved in the film after formation.

Claim 13

A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said elements are present in the form of oxides, nitrates, carbides or ammonium compounds.

Claim 16

A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the aqueous salt solution is a metal halide, preferably a metal chloride.

Claim 18

A composite film comprising two or more elements carried on a substrate, characterised in that the elements are substantially regularly distributed in the film in predetermined proportions.

Claim 19

A composite film as claimed in claim 18, wherein the film includes at least one non-metallic element.

Claim 20

A composite film as claimed in either of claims 18 or claim 19, wherein the elements forming the film are selected from iron, nickel, aluminium, chromium, oxygen, nitrogen, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, silicon, germanium, carbon, boron and hydrogen.

Claim 21

A composite film as claimed in any of claims 18-20, wherein the film is a solid solution, which includes individual heteroatomic molecules or ions, is in the form of an extended array, or has a rigid crystalline structure.

Claim 22

A composite film as claimed in any of claims 18-21, wherein the film comprises a ceramic material.

Claim 23

A composite film comprising two or more elements carried on a substrate, characterised in that said film is formed by the method claimed in any one of claims 1-17.

Claim 24

A composite film as claimed in claim 18, characterised in that the film comprises a solid solution formed by a process in which an aqueous solution of a salt or salts, including at least two or more irons in addition to those from water, is reacted with an alkali to form a crystalline substance including said elements, said substance is purified, dryed, comminuted into a particulate form, converted into an activated vapour state in a high temperature plasma and conveyed to a substrate by the plasma, where the vapourized substance condenses to form the composite film.

Claim 25

A composite film as claimed in claim 24, wherein said film is formed from spherical particles having a particle size of 1µm or less.

Claim 26

A method of forming a composite film as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that high frequency current is passed through a coil wound around a tubular glass vessel, high temperature plasma in a high density active state is produced in the vessel through inductive coupling and ionization of a gaseous substance, such as helium or argon passed into the vessel, an aqueous solution of a salt or salts, including at least two or more ions in addition to those from water, is reacted with an alkali to form a crystalline material including said elements, said substance is purified, dryed, comminuted into a powder and mixed with argon gas, this mixture is further mixed with helium gas and/or argon gas and/or ammonia gas and/or oxygen gas and/or hydrogen gas, to provide a gaseous suspension of powder, which is passed into the plasma where the powder particles are converted into an activated vapour state, and in that said activated vapour is conveyed under reduced pressure to a substrate, where the activated vapour condenses to provide the composite film.

Claim 27

A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the plasma forms a flame directed in an upwardly direction and the activated vapourized substance is blown into the plasma from a nozzle located near the lower portion of the plasma flame.

Claim 28

A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the powder is placed in a container and vibrated by a vibrator mounted on the container, argon gas is passed into the container and the powder is lifted and floated upwardly towards a filter, those particles of the suspended powder having a particle size of 3µm or less are passed through the filter and out of the container, where said suspension of powder is directed into a mixing vessel, together with a gaseous substance, such as argon, argon and ammonia, or argon and oxygen, the quantity of powder and gases being controlled and adjusted so as to provide the desired component ratio in the product composite film.

Claim 29

A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the dried crystalline substance is comminuted into a powdered form by a high temperature plasma atomizing process.

Claim 30

A method as claimed in claim 3 or 26, wherein the particles are in the form of a mist produced by passing high frequency vibrations through an aqueous solution of salt or salts, including at least two or more ions in addition to those from water, and preferably said particles are suspended in argon gas.

Claim 31

A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the powder is dissolved in water and droplets of the resulting solution are suspended in argon gas.

Claim 32

A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the gaseous substance is heated before it is mixed with the powder.

Claim 33

A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the substrate is formed from a ceramic, glass, metal or composite material.