Fine solid solution alloy particles and method for producing same

• US 9,540,712 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Science & Technology Trading Co. Limited
• Original Assignee: Japan Science & Technology Trading Co. Limited
• Inventors: Kitagawa, Hiroshi, Kusada, Kohei, Makiura, Rie
• Primary Examiner(s): Wyszomierski, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAI, NGOCLAN THI
• Application Number:
  US14/697,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20150231697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/054 Nanosized particles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/00 Making metallic powder or suspensions thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/24 starting from liquid metal compounds, e.g. solutions
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 5/02 Alloys based on gold
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 5/04 Alloys based on a platinum group metal
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 5/06 Alloys based on silver
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12 All metal or with adjacent metals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12014 having metal particles

Abstract

The alloy fine particles of the present invention are fine particles of a solid solution alloy, in which a plurality of metal elements are mixed at the atomic level. The production method of the present invention is a method for producing alloy fine particles composed of a plurality of metal elements. This production method includes the steps of (i) preparing a solution containing ions of the plurality of metal elements and a liquid containing a reducing agent; and (ii) mixing the solution with the liquid that has been heated.

Claims

1. Fine particles of a solid solution alloy, in which a plurality of metal elements are mixed at the atomic level wherein

the plurality of metal elements are a plurality of metal elements that do not form a solid solution even in the liquid phase.

2. The alloy fine particles according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of metal elements are two kinds of metal elements.

3. The alloy fine particles according to claim 2, wherein elemental mapping using a scanning transmission electron microscope with a resolution of 0.105 nm demonstrates that there is no phase separation in the alloy fine particles.

4. The alloy fine particles according to claim 2, wherein X-ray diffraction demonstrates that there is no phase separation in the alloy fine particles.

5. The alloy fine particles according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of metal elements are silver and rhodium.

6. The alloy fine particles according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of metal elements are gold and rhodium.

7. The alloy fine particles according to claim 1, having an average particle size of 20 nm or less.