US6344272B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Metal nanoshells
Assignee: Rice University
•
Filing: 1998-03-11
•
Granted: 2002-02-05
•
Expires: 2018-03-11
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is for particulate compositions and methods for producing them that can absorb or scatter electromagnetic radiation. The particles are homogeneous in size and are comprised of a nonconducting inner layer that is surrounded by an electrically conducting material. The ratio of the thickness of the nonconducting layer to the thickness of the outer conducting shell is determinative of the wavelength of maximum absorbance or scattering of the particle. Unique solution phase methods for synthesizing the particles involve linking clusters of the conducting atoms, ions, or molecules to the nonconducting inner layer by linear molecules. This step can be followed by growth of the metal onto the clusters to form a coherent conducting shell that encapsulates the core.
Inventors
- 👤 Steven J. Oldenburg
- 👤 Richard D. Averitt
- 👤 Nancy J. Halas
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:17
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/35; G02F1/355; A; A61; A61K; A61K41/00; A61K41/0042; B; B01; B01J; B01J13/00; B01J13/02; B22; B22F; B22F1/00; B22F1/05; B22F1/054; B22F1/056; B22F1/18; B82; B82Y; B82Y30/00; C; C08; C08K; C08K9/00; C08K9/02; C09; C09C; C09C1/00; C09C1/28; C09C1/30; C09C1/3045; C09C1/3054; C09C1/3081; C09C1/309; C09K; C09K3/00; B82Y15/00; B82Y5/00; C01; C01P; C01P2002/00; C01P2002/80; C01P2002/82; C01P2002/84; C01P2004/00; C01P2004/01; C01P2004/04; C01P2004/10; C01P2004/12; C01P2004/30; C01P2004/32; C01P2004/38; C01P2004/50; C01P2004/54; C01P2004/60; C01P2004/61; C01P2004/62; C01P2004/64; C01P2004/80; C01P2006/00; C01P2006/22; C01P2006/32; C01P2006/33; C01P2006/40; C01P2006/60; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/62; G01N21/63; G01N21/65; G01N21/658; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/913; Y10S977/00; Y10S977/70; Y10S977/773; Y10S977/775; Y10S977/777; Y10S977/832; Y10S977/835; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2982; Y10T428/2991; Y10T428/2993; Y10T428/2998
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 52
Claim 1
Independent Claim
66 words
A nanoparticle comprising at least one non-conducting core layer and at least one conducting shell layer, said shell layer immediately adjacent to and independently layered upon said core layer, wherein thickness of said shell layer is not limited to account for the bulk dielectric properties of a material comprising said conducting shell layer, said nanoparticle having a wavelength extinction maximum between 300 nm and 20 μm.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
66 words
A nanoparticle comprising at least one non-conducting core layer and at least one conducting shell layer, said shell layer immediately adjacent to and independently layered upon said core layer, wherein thickness of said shell layer is not limited to account for the bulk dielectric properties of a material comprising said conducting shell layer, said nanoparticle having a wavelength extinction maximum between 300 nm and 20 μm.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer comprises a metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The nanoparticle of claim 2 wherein said metal is comprised of a metal selected from the group consisting of the coinage metals, noble metals, transition metals, and synthetic metals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer comprises an organic conducting material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer comprises a metal alloy.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said nanoparticle comprises at least one additional non-conducting core layers in an alternating sequence with additional conducting shell layers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises a dielectric material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The nanoparticle of claim 7 wherein said dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, PMMA, polystyrene, and dendrimers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises a semi-conducting material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises an organic molecule or an organic supermolecular structure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises a mixture of non-conducting materials.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises an optically absorbing material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said non-conducting core layer comprises a fluorescent material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 further comprising an outermost non-conducting core layer bound to an adjacent conducting shell layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 further comprising a non-conducting layer sandwiched between two conducting layers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 further comprising a conducting layer sandwiched between two non-conducting layers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein the diameter of said nanoparticles varies by less than 100%.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer coats at least 10% of said non-conducting core layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The nanoparticle of claim 10 wherein said conducting shell layer coats at least 10% but less than 100% of said non-conducting core layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer completely surrounds said non-conducting core layer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said conducting shell layer is linked to said non-conducting core layer by a linker molecule.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
11 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said nanoparticles is approximately spherical.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
10 words
The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein said nanoparticle is non-spherical.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
11 words
An x-ray absorbing device comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
11 words
A light detecting device comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
11 words
A chemical sensing device comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
9 words
A bolometer comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
9 words
A microbolometer comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
11 words
A sensing cantilever device comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
14 words
A dopant in an optically active material comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
9 words
A polymer comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
11 words
A photovoltaic solar cell comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
10 words
An infrared detector comprising the nanoparticle of claim 1 .
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
68 words
A particle comprising a core that is between 1 nm and 2 μm in diameter, said core further comprising silicon dioxide, said core being encapsulated by a layer of a metal that is less than approximately 40 nm thick, said metal comprising gold, wherein said metal is linked to said core through a linker molecule, said particle having a wavelength absorbance maximum between 300 nm and 20 μm.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
68 words
A particle comprising a core that is between 1 nm and 2 μm in diameter, said core further comprising silicon dioxide, said core being encapsulated by a layer of a metal that is less than approximately 40 nm thick, said metal comprising gold, wherein said metal is linked to said core through a linker molecule, said particle having a wavelength absorbance maximum between 300 nm and 20 μm.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
74 words
A particle that absorbs electromagnetic radiation, said particle having a diameter of greater than approximately 1 nm. and comprising at least a first and a second layer, said second layer surrounding said first layer, wherein said first layer comprises a non-conducting material and said second layer comprises a conducting material, and wherein thickness of said second layer is not limited to account for the bulk dielectric properties of a material comprising said second layer.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
74 words
A particle that absorbs electromagnetic radiation, said particle having a diameter of greater than approximately 1 nm. and comprising at least a first and a second layer, said second layer surrounding said first layer, wherein said first layer comprises a non-conducting material and said second layer comprises a conducting material, and wherein thickness of said second layer is not limited to account for the bulk dielectric properties of a material comprising said second layer.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
29 words
A mixture of nanoparticles as in claim 1 , said mixture capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation, said mixture further comprising nanoparticles between approximately 5 nm and 2 μm thick.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
14 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises aminopropyltriethoxy silane.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
14 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises aminopropyltrimethoxy silane.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
15 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises diaminopropyl diethoxy silane.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
14 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises 4-aminobutyl dimethylmethoxysilane.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
26 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises a linker upon which direct reduction of atoms of said metal may be conducted.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
15 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises diaminopropyl diethoxy silane.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
17 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises diphenyltriethoxy silane reacted with tetrahydrothiophene(AuCl).
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
16 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said linker molecule further comprises a second non-metallic material.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
17 words
The particle of claim 44 , wherein said second non-metallic material further comprises either CdS or CdSe.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
22 words
The particle of any of claims 34 and 44 - 45 , wherein said linker molecule is crosslinked to another linker molecule.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
22 words
The particle of claim 46 , wherein said crosslinked linker molecules are crosslinked by a thermal or a photo-induced chemical crosslinking process.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
18 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said wavelength absorbance maximum is between 500 nm and 10 μm.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
18 words
The particle of claim 34 , wherein said wavelength absorbance maximum is between 900 nm and 5 μm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-02-04 | 2005-08-06 | 2006-02-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-02-04 | 2009-08-06 | 2010-02-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-02-04 | 2013-08-06 | 2014-02-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |