Reactive Brazing with Thermite Redox Foils

Unmet Need
The invention offers an improved and more efficienct means for bonding dissimilar materials.  Reactive self-propagating multilayer foils can be used as local heat sources for joining materials without heating either component significantly  (as only the region near the interface is heated). This is useful for joining dissimilar materials without pre-wetting components with solder or coating them with inert metal layers such as Au or Ag.   
Technology Overview
The invention comprises a novel reactive composite foil, including metallic fuel particles, oxidizer particles, and a diluent, which, when ignited, produces a self-propagating thermite reaction to produce a molten metal.  The invention overcomes drawbacks of previous reactive foils.   In particular, the invention mades use of a Redox composite that is heavily-diluted but reactive enough to self-propagate through the bond interface. The Redox composite effectively wets the surfaces of the components to be joined and produces minimal slag during the reaction in order to maximize bond strength.  The invention also addresses solutions for enhancing reactivity, promoting wetting, and minimizing slag.
Publications: 
Patent Application US20160152526

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