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US 6,645,444 B2Granted
Metal nanocrystals and synthesis thereof
AssigneeNanospin Solutions
InventorAvery N. Goldstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for forming metal nanocrystals involves complexing a metal ion and an organic ligand in a solvent and introducing a reducing agent to reduce a plurality of metal ions to form the metal nanocrystals associated with the organic ligand. The nanocrystals are optionally doped or alloyed with other metals.
Claims27
A process for forming a metal nanocrystal comprising the steps of:
- forming a complex between a metal ion and an organic ligand in a first solvent solubilizing said complex;
- and
- introducing a reducing agent to said first solvent to reduce a plurality of metal ions to form a metal nanocrystal at a temperature of less than 100° C., said metal nanocrystal associated with said organic ligand.
A process for forming a copper containing nanocrystal comprising the steps of:
- complexing a copper ion and an organic ligand having a molecular weight of less than 400 atomic units in a first solvent;
- and
- introducing a reducing agent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen gas, hydrides, and hydrazines to reduce the copper ions to form a copper nanocrystal associated with said organic ligand.
A solution comprising:
- a plurality of copper nanocrystals having an average domain size of between 1 and 8 nanometers, said plurality of copper nanocrystals each having a surface, the surface passivated with an organic ligand where the organic ligand has a molecular weight of less than 400 atomic units;
- a solvent having an affinity for a portion of said ligand extending from the copper nanocrystal surface;
- and
- a reducing agent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen gas, sodium metal, zinc metal, magnesium metal, aluminum metal, lithium aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, and hydrazine.
1 more element
A copper nanocrystal comprising a crystalline copper domain having dimensions from 1 nanometer to 20 nanometers, said crystalline domain having a surface;
- a plurality of ligands passivating the surface, each ligand having a formula A—L—(Q)n where L is C1 to C30 alkyl, C5 to C30 cycloalkyl, C2 to C30 alkenyl, C6 to C30 cycloalkenyl, C6 to C40 aromatic;
- Q is a heteroatom containing moiety capable of coordinating a metal ion, the heteroatom including oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur;
- the heteroatom being present as an alcohol, carbonyl, carboxyl, phosphatidyl, sulfonyl, sulfinyl, nitrosyl, amino, imido, azide, thiol, ester, ether, secondary amino, thioester, thioether, silanol, siloxyl;
- and A is a solubility imparting moiety illustratively including hydrogen, alcohol, sulfonyl, sulfhydryl, amino, secondary amino, phosphatidyl, carboxyl, phenyl, nitro-, ester, ether, thioester and thioether;
- n is an integer between 1 and 4, the copper nanocrystal further comprising a metal dopant present from 0.05 to 49 atomic percent.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.