Fabrication of light emitting film coated fullerenes and their application for in-vivo light emission

• US 7,253,014 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NewCyte, Inc. (Natcore Technology, Inc.), Rice University
• Original Assignee: NewCyte, Inc. (Natcore Technology, Inc.), Rice University
• Inventors: Barron, Andrew R., Flood, Dennis J., Loscutova, John Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mulpuri; Savitri
• Application Number:
  US10/534,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20060148272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 438 22- 47, 438479-509, 977542-848, 427/402, 427/407
• US Class Current: 438/34
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• 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: C01B 32/15 Nano-sized carbon materials
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/156 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 19/12 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/48 AIIBVI compounds wherein A is Zn, Cd or Hg, and B is S, Se or Te
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 7/14 the crystallising materials being formed by chemical reactions in the solution
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02376 Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02521 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02601 Nanoparticles fullerenes H10K85/211
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02628 using solutions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/70 Nanostructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/734 Fullerenes, i.e. graphene-based structures, such as nanohorns, nanococoons, nanoscrolls or fullerene-like structures, e.g. WS2 or MoS2 chalcogenide nanotubes, planar C3N4, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/737 having a modified surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/742 Carbon nanotubes, CNTs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 : Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer

Abstract

A nanoparticle coated with a semiconducting material and a method for making the same. In one embodiment, the method comprises making a semiconductor coated nanoparticle comprising a layer of at least one semiconducting material covering at least a portion of at least one surface of a nanoparticle, comprising: (A) dispersing the nanoparticle under suitable conditions to provide a dispersed nanoparticle; and (B) depositing at least one semiconducting material under suitable conditions onto at least one surface of the dispersed nanoparticle to produce the semiconductor coated nanoparticle. In other embodiments, the nanoparticle comprises a fullerene. Further embodiments include the semiconducting material comprising CdS or CdSe.

Claims

1. A method of making a semiconductor coated nanoparticle comprising a layer of at least one semiconducting material covering at least a portion of at least one surface of a nanoparticle, comprising:

(A) dispersing the nanoparticle under suitable conditions to provide a dispersed nanoparticle; and

(B) depositing at least one semiconducting material under suitable conditions onto at least one surface of the dispersed nanoparticle to produce the semiconductor coated nanoparticle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene comprises at least one of C₆₀ molecules, C₇₂ molecules, C₈₄ molecules, C₉₆ molecules, C₁₀₈ molecules, C₁₂₀ molecules, ovoid molecules, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene comprises a surface modified fullerene.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface of the dispersed nanoparticle is activated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconducting material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconducting material comprises at least one of CdS and CdSe.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconducting material is capable of at least one of absorbing and emitting light.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dispersing the nanoparticle is accomplished by chemical functionalization.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein chemical functionalization comprises hydroxylation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dispersing the nanoparticle is accomplished by surfactant addition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the surfactant comprises at least one of sodium dodecylsulfate, dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, N-hexadecyl-N(2-hydroxy-ethyl)-N,N′

-dimethylammonium bromide, sodium dodecyl(benzenesulfonate), and dodecyl(benzene) trimethylammonium halide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing of step (13) comprises contacting the at least one surface with a solution comprising precursors to the semiconducting material.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein step (B) further comprises adding at least one capping agent to the solution.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one capping agent comprises at least one of n-tetradecylphosphonic acid, ethanol, and an organic thiol.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein step (3) further comprises catalyzed growth of the semiconducting material onto the at least one surface.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising (C) quenching the catalyzed growth.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising (C) inserting the semiconductor coated nanoparticle in vivo.