Nanoparticle phosphors manufactured using the bicontinuous cubic phase process

• US 6,379,583 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of The Navy Office of Counsel
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Yang, Jianping, Gray, Henry F., Ratna, Banhalli R., Hsu, David S. Y., Qadri, Syed B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koslow, C. Melissa
• Application Number:
  US09/467,968
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 252/301.4 S, 252/301.4 R, 252/301.4 H, 252/301.6 S, 252/301.6 R
• US Class Current: 252/301.40R
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/08 containing inorganic luminescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/574 with zinc or cadmium
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 7/00 Single-crystal growth from solutions using solvents which are liquid at normal temperature, e.g. aqueous solutions from molten solvents C30B9/00; by normal or gradient freezing C30B11/00; under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/749 Modified with dissimilar atoms or molecules substituted for carbon atoms of the cnt, e.g. impurity doping or compositional substitution
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/773 Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/824 Group II-VI nonoxide compounds, e.g. CdxMnyTe
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/825 Heterojunction formed between semiconductor materials that differ in that they belong to different periodic table groups

Abstract

Nanocrystalline phosphors are formed within a bicontinuous cubic phase.

Claims

1. Nanocrystalline phosphors comprising a binary II-VI semiconductor host compound doped with Mn;

Cu;

Ag;

Eu;

Cu,CI;

Cu,Tb;

Tb;

Ag,CI;

Cl;

Cu,Al;

Ce;

Er, Er,Cl;

or Zn, wherein said doped nanocrystalline phosphor has an average of about one or less dopant ion per nanocrystalline phosphor particle.

3. The nanocrystalline phosphors according to claim 1 having a diameter of about 1.0 to about 30 nm.

4. The nanocrystalline phosphors according to claim 1 wherein said nanocrystalline phosphor is monodispersed.

2. A Nanocrystalline phosphor comprising a semiconductor selected from the group consisting of ZnS, ZnO, CaS, SrS, Zn_xCd₁₋

xS, Y₂O₂, Y₂O₂S, Zn₂SiO₄, Y₃Al₅O₁₂, Y₃(AlGa)₅O₁₂, Y₂SiO₅, LaOCl, InBO₃, Gd₂O₂S, ZnGa₂O₄, yttrium niobate, said s being doped with Mn;

Cu;

Ag;

Eu;

Cu,Cl;

Cu,Tb;

Tb;

Ag,CI;

Cl;

Cu,Al;

Ce;

Er;

Er,Cl;

or Zn, said nanocrystalline phosphor having a diameter of about 1.0 to about 30 nm, wherein said doped nanocrystalline phosphor has an average of about one or less dopant ion per nanocrystalline phosphor particle, wherein 0≦

x≦

1.

5. The nanocrystalline phosphor according to claim 2 wherein said nanocrystalline phosphor is monodispersed.