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

• US 7,682,527 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NewCyte, Inc. (Natcore Technology, Inc.), Rice University
• Original Assignee: Rice University
• Inventors: Loscutova, John Ryan, Barron, Andrew R., Flood, Dennis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kopec; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tri V
• Application Number:
  US11/834,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20080171204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 252/500, 252/502, 252/506, 252/507, 252/509, 252/510, 977/700, 977/734, 977/737, 977/742
• US Class Current: 252/506
• 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 composition, comprising,

a fullerene;

a functionalizing group disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the fullerene, wherein the functionalizing group comprises one or more hydroxide groups chemically bound to said surface portion of the fullerene; and

a film of a semiconducting material disposed on at least the portion of the surface of the fullerene that includes the functionalizing group, wherein the semiconducting material disposed on at least said surface portion of the fullerene has a thickness in a range of about 100 nm to about 5000 nm and wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaAs, InP, GaS, TiO₂, and Fe₂S₃.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the functionalizing group provides at least one reactive site for growth of the semiconducting material.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the functionalizing group is suitable for dispersing the fullerene in a liquid.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the fullerene has at least one of a cylindrical, spherical, ovoid, oblate and oblong structure.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the film of the semiconducting material coats all of the surface of the fullerene.

6. The composition of claim 5, wherein the fullerene has at least one of a cylindrical, spherical, ovoid, oblate and oblong structure.

7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the fullerene comprises at least one of a C₆₀ molecule, C₇₂ molecule, C₈₄ molecule, C₉₆ molecule, C₁₀₈ molecule, C₁₂₀ molecule, single-walled carbon nanotube, and multi-walled carbon nanotube.

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

18. The composition of claim 1, wherein the film of the semiconducting material is of uniform heterogeneity.

9. A composition, comprising:

a fullerene;

a functionalizing group disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the fullerene, wherein the functionalizing group comprises one or more hydroxide groups chemically bound to said surface portion of the fullerene; and

a semiconducting material coating at least the portion of the surface of the fullerene that includes the functionalizing group, wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaAs, InP, GaS, TiO₂, and Fe₂S₃ and wherein the semiconducting material coating on at least said surface portion of the fullerene has a thickness in a range of about 100 nm to about 5000 nm.

10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the fullerene has at least one of a cylindrical, spherical, ovoid, oblate and oblong structure.

11. The composition of claim 9, wherein the semiconducting material coats all of the surface of the fullerene.

12. The composition of claim 11, wherein the fullerene has at least one of a cylindrical, spherical, ovoid, oblate and oblong structure.

13. The composition of claim 9, wherein the functionalizing group provides at least one reactive site for growth of the semiconducting material.

14. The composition of claim 9, wherein the functionalizing group is suitable for dispersing the fullerene in a liquid.

15. The composition of claim 9, wherein the fullerene comprises at least one of a C₆₀ molecule, C₇₂ molecule, C₈₄ molecule, C₉₆ molecule, C₁₀₈ molecule, C₁₂₀ molecule, single-walled carbon nanotube, and multi-walled carbon nanotube.

16. The composition of claim 9, wherein the semiconducting material is capable of absorbing light.

17. The composition of claim 9, wherein the semiconducting material is capable of emitting light.

19. A composition, comprising,

a fullerene;

a functionalizing group disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the fullerene, wherein the functionalizing group comprises one or more hydroxide groups chemically bound to said surface portion of the fullerene; and

a semiconducting material disposed on the portion of the surface of the fullerene that includes the functionalizing group, wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaAs, InP, GaS, TiO₂, and Fe₂S₃ and wherein the semiconducting material coats all of the surface of the fullerene and has a thickness in a range of about 100 nm to about 5000 nm.