Metal Nanoparticles

Abstract

A method of making metal nanoparticles comprising contacting metal with a diazonium compound substituted with an organic substituent and allowing said metal to react with the diazonium compound thereby forming metal nanoparticles wherein each of said metal nanoparticles comprises a metal core bonded to an outer layer of said organic substituent as well as nanoparticles made by that method.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A metal nanoparticle comprising a metal core and an outer layer encompassing said core, said outer layer comprising a plurality of organic substituents bonded to said metal core. 
     
     
         2 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said metal core comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of germanium, antimony, polonium, tellurium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, actinium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, rutherfordium, niobium, dubnium, chromium, molybdenum, seaborgium, manganese, technetium, rhenium, bohrium, ruthenium, osmium, hassium, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, meitnerium, palladium, platinum, darmstadtium, copper, silver, roentgenium, zinc, cadmium, mercury, indium, gallium, thallium, ununbium, tungsten, gold, aluminum, bismuth, iron, vanadium, nickel, palladium, tin, lead, tantalum and uranium. 
     
     
         3 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said metal core comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of tungsten, germanium, gold, aluminum, bismuth, iron, vanadium, silver, nickel, palladium, tin, lead, tantalum, copper, and uranium. 
     
     
         4 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said metal comprises tungsten. 
     
     
         5 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents are selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, and substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl. 
     
     
         6 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents are selected from the group consisting of R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, and R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl;
 wherein R 1  is halogen, —CN, —S(O) n R 2 , —NR 3 R 4 , —C(O)R 5 , —NR 6 —C(O)R 7 , —NR 8 —C(O)—OR 9 , —C(O)NR 10 R 11 , —NR 12 S(O) 2 R 13 , —OR 14 , —S(O) 2 NR 15 , R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, wherein n is an integer from 0 to 2; and   R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15  and R 16  are independently hydrogen, unsubstituted alkyl, unsubstituted heteroalkyl, unsubstituted cycloalkyl, unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, unsubstituted aryl, or unsubstituted heteroaryl.   
     
     
         7 . The metal nanoparticle of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents have the formula: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein
 L 1  is R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted alkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted arylene, and R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene; 
 R 1  is halogen, —CN, —S(O) n R 2 , —NR 3 R 4 , —C(O)R 5 , —NR 6 —C(O)R 7 , —NR 8 —C(O)—OR 9 , —C(O)NR 10 R 11 , —NR 12 S(O) 2 R 13 , —OR 14 , —S(O) 2 NR 15 , R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, wherein n is an integer from 0 to 2, 
 
         R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15  and R 16  are independently hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl. 
       
     
     
         8 . A radiation shield comprising a metal nanoparticle, said metal nanoparticle comprising a metal core and an outer layer encompassing said core, said outer layer comprising a plurality of organic substituents covalently bonded to said metal core. 
     
     
         9 . The radiation shield of  claim 8 , wherein said radiation shield is lead-free. 
     
     
         10 . The radiation shield of  claim 8 , wherein said radiation shield is used to shield radiation from a cell phone, a medical device, or a shielding for equipment and use in aerospace. 
     
     
         11 . The radiation shield of  claim 8 , wherein said radiation shield is a blanket, head covering, foot covering, hand covering, an undergarment, an injection molded product, or an extruded product. 
     
     
         12 . The radiation shield of  claim 8 , wherein said personal radiation shield comprises a non-woven material, a fiber material, a film, a filament, or a woven material. 
     
     
         13 . A method of making metal nanoparticles comprising:
 (a) contacting metal with a diazonium compound substituted with an organic substituent; and   (b) allowing said metal to react with the diazonium compound thereby forming metal nanoparticles wherein each of said metal nanoparticles comprises a metal core bonded to an outer layer of said organic substituent.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least 50% of said metal nanoparticles are less than 1 μm in length in all dimensions. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least 70% of said metal nanoparticles are less than 100 nm in length in all dimensions. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least 80% of said of metal nanoparticles are less than 100 nm in length in all dimensions. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents are selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, and substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents are selected from the group consisting of R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, and R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl;
 wherein R 1  is halogen, —CN, —S(O) n R 2 , —NR 3 R 4 , —C(O)R 5 , —NR 6 —C(O)R 7 , —NR 8 —C(O)—OR 9 , —C(O)NR 10 R 11 , —NR 12 S(O) 2 R 13 , —OR 14 , —S(O) 2 NR 15 , R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, wherein n is an integer from 0 to 2; and   R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15  and R 16  are independently hydrogen, unsubstituted alkyl, unsubstituted heteroalkyl, unsubstituted cycloalkyl, unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, unsubstituted aryl, or unsubstituted heteroaryl.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said plurality of organic substituents have the formula: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein
 L 1  is R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted alkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkylene, R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted arylene, and R 1 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene; 
 R 1  is halogen, —CN, —S(O) n R 2 , —NR 3 R 4 , —C(O)R 5 , —NR 6 —C(O)R 7 , —NR 8 —C(O)—OR 9 , —C(O)NR 10 R 11 , —NR 12 S(O) 2 R 13 , —OR 14 , —S(O) 2 NR 15 , R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or R 16 -substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, wherein n is an integer from 0 to 2, 
 R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15  and R 16  are independently hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl, unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heterocycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl.