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

• US 8,361,349 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NewCyte, Inc. (Natcore Technology, Inc.), Rice University
• Original Assignee: Natcore Technology, Inc., Rice University
• Inventors: Barron, Andrew R., Flood, Dennis J., Loscutova, John Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kopec, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tri V
• Application Number:
  US12/708,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20100151248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 252/500, 252/502, 252/506, 252/507, 252/509, 252/510, 423/445.B, 427/212, 428/408, 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 method of fabricating a coated fullerene, comprising

activating at least a surface portion of a fullerene wherein said activating step comprises generating one or more reactive sites for growth of said semiconducting material, and wherein said reactive sites comprise hydroxide groups chemically bound to said surface portion of the fullerene, and

catalyzing growth of a semiconducting material on said activated portion so as to coat said fullerene at least partially with said semiconducting material wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaAs, InP, GaS, TiO₂, and Fe₂S₃.

2. A method of depositing semiconducting material on a fullerene, comprising

chemically functionalizing at least a surface portion of a fullerene disposed in a liquid wherein the functionalizing step comprises reacting said surface portion with one or more reagents to generate at least one reactive site for growth of the semiconducting material and wherein said reactive site comprises one or more hydroxide groups, and

catalyzing growth of a semiconducting material on the functionalized surface portion wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, GaAs, InP, GaS, TiO₂, and Fe₂S₃.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of adding a surfactant to said liquid so as to disperse the fullerene therein.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of catalyzing growth comprises contacting said fullerene with chemical precursors to the semiconducting material.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising adding a capping agent to said liquid to control surface growth of the semiconducting material.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising continuing to react said surface portion with said reagents until a thickness of the semiconducting material grown on the fullerene lies in a range of about 100 nm to about 5000 nm.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising quenching said reaction when a desired thickness of the semiconducting material is achieved.

8. A semiconductor coated nanoparticle, comprising:

a core formed at least in part of a fullerene comprising one or more reactive sites for growth of a semiconducting material, wherein said reactive sites comprise hydroxide groups chemically bound to said surface portion of the fullerene, and

a semiconducting material at least partially coating said core, wherein said semiconductor coating 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.

9. The semiconductor coated nanoparticle of claim 8, wherein the fullerene comprises at least one of C₆₀ molecules, C₇₂ molecules, C₈₄ molecules, C₉₆ molecules, C₁₀₈ molecules, ovoid molecules, C₁₂₀ molecules, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

10. The semiconductor coated nanoparticle of claim 8, wherein the fullerene comprises a surface modified fullerene.

11. The semiconductor coated nanoparticle of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor material comprises at least one of CdS and CdSe.

12. The semiconductor coated nanoparticle of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor material is capable of at least one of absorbing and emitting light.