# US 2010/0163533 A1 · Increasing head transduction via surface plasmon resonance by modulating resonant continuous-wave irradiation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0163533 A1 - Document ID: US20100163533A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/525,391 - Filed: 2008-01-24 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2007-01-31 - Inventors: Donald Keith Roper; Wonmi Ahn - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100163533A1 ## CPC - C09K 5/14: Solid materials, e.g. powdery or granular - B82Y 30/00: Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES ## Abstract The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for increasing the conversion efficiency of irradiation incident on metal particles to an ambient environment. More specifically the invention relates to methods and apparatus for increasing the heat conversion efficiency from irradiation incident on metal particles to an ambient environment through modulating radiation incident upon the metal particles. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of increasing the heat conversion efficiency from irradiation incident on particles comprising a metal to the ambient environment, the method comprising: irradiating the particles comprising a metal with an incident radiation; increasing energy transduction efficiency; and transferring heat from the metal particles to the environment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein increasing energy transduction efficiency comprises preventing aggregation of the particles comprising a metal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the particles comprising a metal comprise particles selected from the group consisting of metal nanoparticles, metal-containing particles, metal-coated particles, noble metal particles, noble metal nanoparticles, metal chips, metal nanorods, metal nanotubes, metal chips, metal thin films, noble metal thin films, nanoshells, gold nanoparticles, gold-shell silica-core nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and silica chips. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the incident radiation is a laser. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the laser is a cw Ar-Ion laser. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat conversion efficiency is increased by more than 2.1 fold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein irradiating the particles comprising a metal with an incident radiation comprises modulating the incident radiation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein modulating the incident radiation prevents irreversible aggregation of the particles comprising a metal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein modulating the incident radiation comprises passing the incident radiation through a mechanical chopper. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein modulating the incident radiation comprises chopping the incident radiation into pulses. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein modulating the incident radiation comprises chopping the incident radiation at a frequency of about 6000 cycles per second. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the period between pulses is approximately equal to or longer than the thermal dissipation time of the particles comprising a metal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the period of an incident irradiative pulse is less than or approximately equal to the diffusive or dispersive interaction time between neighboring particles comprising a metal. ### Claim 14 An apparatus for increasing the efficiency of converting energy from irradiation incident on particles comprising a metal to an ambient environment, the apparatus comprising: particles comprising a metal dispersed in the ambient environment; a source of radiation; and a means of modulating the incident radiation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the means of modulating the incident radiation comprises a mechanical chopper, an electronic or optical pulse generator, and/or controls that turn on and off the source of radiation at particular frequency or rate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the source of radiation comprises a laser. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the laser comprises a cw Ar-Ion laser. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the ambient environment comprises a solid, a liquid, a gas, or a plasma. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the particles comprising a metal are selected from the group consisting of metal nanoparticles, metal-containing particles, metal-coated particles, noble metal particles, noble metal nanoparticles, metal chips, metal nanorods, metal nanotubes, metal nanoshells, metal chips, metal thin films, noble metal thin films, gold nanoparticles, gold-shell silica-core nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and silica chips. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the particles comprising a metal are dispersed in a colloidal suspension.