Method for manufacture of vanadium dioxide polyconductors

Claim 1

A method for the production of a polyconducting device comprising vanadium dioxide in a binder by the steps comprising: a. admixing, (1) a member selected from the group consisting of particulate vanadium dioxide, and (2) doped vanadium oxide, wherein the dopant is an oxide selected from the group consisting of Cr, Fe, Ga, Al, Ti, Os, Ru, Ge, Nb, Ta, Mo and W, and mixtures of oxides of the same, with particulate binder in a ratio of from 5-50%, said particulate binder consisting essentially of 80% to 50% of vanadium pentoxide with complementary proportions of phosphorus pentoxide, to obtain a powdered mixture of said binder and said vanadium dioxide; b. heating said mixture to effect melting of the binder to produce a glass; c. shaping said glass under a pressure sufficient to achieve a density in said mixture of at least 80% of the theoretical density of the vanadium dioxide and binder; and d. cooling said glass to obtain said polyconductive device.

Claim 2

A method for the production of a polyconducting device comprising vanadium dioxide in a binder by the steps comprising: a. admixing, (1) a member selected from the group consisting of particulate vanadium dioxide, and (2) doped vanadium oxide, wherein the dopant is an oxide selected from the group consisting of Cr, Fe, Ga, Al, Ti, Os, Ru, Ge, Nb, Ta, Mo and W, and mixtures of oxides of the same, with particulate binder in a ratio of from 5-50%, said particulate binder consisting essentially of 80% to 50% of vanadium pentoxide with complementary proportions of phosphorus pentoxide, to obtain a powdered mixture of said binder and said vanadium dioxide; b. heating said mixture to effect melting of the binder to produce a glass; c. shaping said glass under a pressure sufficient to achieve a density in said mixture of at least 80% of the theoretical density of the vanadium dioxide and binder; and d. cooling said glass to obtain said polyconductive device.