Method for producing nanoparticles and nanostructured films

Abstract

A method for producing composite, shelled, alloy and compound nanoparticles as well as nanostructured films of composite, shelled, alloy and compound nanoparticles by using laser ablation of microparticles is disclosed.

1 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A method for producing nanoparticles, said method comprising:
 producing an aerosol gas of a microparticle mixture of two different materials; and   passing the aerosol gas of the microparticle mixture through an energy beam to produce alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles of the two different materials.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said passing the aerosol gas of the microparticle mixture through an energy beam to produce alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles of the two different materials produces the alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles of a first material and a second material based at least in part on ablation conditions, thermodynamic properties of the first and second materials, or a rate of cooling of the nanoparticles of the first and second materials. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said passing the aerosol gas of the microparticle mixture through an energy beam comprises passing the aerosol gas of the microparticle mixture through a laser beam having wavelengths in a range between 0.15 and 11 microns. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising collecting the alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles using a collection module. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said collecting further includes collecting the alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles using an electric field. 
     
     
         15 . A method for producing nanostructured films, the method comprising:
 generating an aerosol gas of microparticles of a first material and an aerosol gas of microparticles of a second material;   performing an ablation on a laminar flow of the aerosol gas of microparticles of the first material and a laminar flow of the aerosol gas of microparticles of the second material to become a laminar flow of an aerosol gas of nanoparticles of the first material and a laminar flow of an aerosol gas of nanoparticles of the second material, respectively; and   depositing the nanoparticles of the first and second materials that are separated by laminar flows on a substrate in separate flows to produce a composite nanoparticle film of the first and second materials.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said performing an ablation comprises performing an ablation via an energy beam. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the energy beam is a laser beam having wavelengths in a range between 0.15 and 11 microns. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said depositing further includes depositing the nanoparticles of the first material on top of the nanoparticles of the second material. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said depositing further includes depositing the nanoparticles of the first material in parallel with the nanoparticles of the second material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said depositing further includes combining the two laminar flows of nanoparticles of the first and second materials into one laminar flow before said depositing the nanoparticles on a substrate to produce a composite nanoparticle film of the first and second materials. 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate; and   a layer of a composite material formed on the substrate, the composite material including nanoparticles of a first material nucleated by nanoparticles of a second material.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the first material and second material are each selected from group consisting of silica, alumina, an alloy, an inorganic material, an organic material, a metal, an oxide, and a sulfide. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the composite material comprises one or more lines of the composite material. 
     
     
         24 . An apparatus, comprising:
 an ablation chamber configured to produce nanoparticles of a first material nucleated by nanoparticles of a second material; and   a deposition module including:
 a line to receive the nanoparticles of the first material nucleated by nanoparticles of the second material; 
 an impaction substrate; and 
 a supersonic jet to direct the nanoparticles of the first material nucleated by nanoparticles of the second material to the impaction substrate. 
   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the supersonic jet is configured to supersonically impact the nanoparticles of the first material nucleated by the nanoparticles of the second material onto the impaction substrate. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the impaction substrate is configured to mount a deposition substrate thereon to deposit the first material nucleated by nanoparticles of the second material onto the deposition substrate. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein a selected one or more of the impaction substrate and the supersonic jet is configured to move in one or more directions relative to each other. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said passing the aerosol gas of the microparticle mixture through an energy beam to produce alloy, compound, or shelled nanoparticles of the two different materials further comprises controlling either an ablation condition or a rate of cooling of the nanoparticles of the first and second materials, or both, to produce the alloy, compound or shelled nanoparticles of the two different materials.