Carbon nanoencapsulates

• US 5,547,748 A
• Filed: 01/14/1994
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Ruoff, Rodney S., Lorents, Donald C., Malhotra, Ripudaman, Dyer, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRYNSKI, WILLIAM A
• Application Number:
  US08/182,283
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 428/320.2, 428/323, 428/913, 428/195, 428/304.1, 428/328, 428/330, 428/689, 423/439
• US Class Current: 428/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/24 Heavy metals; Compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/244 Lanthanides; Compounds thereof medicinal preparations containing radioactive lanthanides for use in therapy or testing in vivo A61K51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/26 Iron; Compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6925 the form being a microcapsule, nanocapsule, microbubble or nanobubble
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 25/00 Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/02 Single-walled nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/162 characterised by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/10584 characterised by the form, e.g. comprising mechanical protection elements
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/10586 characterised by the selection of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/712 characterised by the surface treatment or coating of magnetic particles
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 1/0063 in a non-magnetic matrix, e.g. granular solids granular films H01F10/007
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249994 Composite having a component wherein a constituent is liquid or is contained within preformed walls [e.g., impregnant-filled, previously void containing component, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/256 Heavy metal or aluminum or compound thereof

Abstract

Encapsulation of metals inside multilayered polyhedral shells of carbon (nanoencapsulates) is described. Many materials, such as metals and metal-carbides, can be encapsulated by the method of present invention, including metals such as lanthanides, transition metals, actinides and alloys. Some of these nanoencapsulate materials exhibit ferromagnetic and paramagnetic properties and have uses in the biomedical field as well as in recording media and composite materials.

Claims

1. A nanoencapsulate composition, comprising;

a metal encapsulated in a nanopolyhedron characterized by (i) an outer shell of nested, concentric layers of carbon, said shell defining an internal cavity and (ii) encapsulated in said cavity, the metal.

2. The composition of claim 1, where the outer diameter of the nanoencapsulate is between 5 nm and 1000 nm.

3. The composition of claim 1, where the outer diameter of the nanoencapsulate is between 10 nm and 500 nm.

4. The composition of claim 1, where the outer diameter of the nanoencapsulate is reduced by controlled oxidation.

5. The composition of claim 1, where the metal is from the group consisting of the actinides.

6. The composition of claim 5, where the metal is uranium.

7. The composition of claim 1, where the metal is from the group consisting of the lanthanides.

8. The composition of claim 7, where the metal is from the group consisting of La and Gd.

9. The composition of claim 1, where the composition is paramagnetic and the metal is normally ferromagnetic.

10. The composition of claim 9, where the metal is Gd.

11. The composition of claim 1, where the composition is paramagnetic and the metal is paramagnetic.

12. The composition of claim 1, where the composition is ferromagnetic and the metal is ferromagnetic.

13. The composition of claim 12, where the metal is selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel and cobalt.

14. The composition of claim 1, where the metal is an alloy.

15. The composition of claim 14, where the alloy is samarium-cobalt.

16. The composition of claim 1, where the carbon shell is derivatized with at least one molecule.