Victor F. Puntes

Correlating Physico-Chemical with Toxicological Properties of Nanoparticles: The Present and the Future

Nanotoxicology is still a new discipline. In this Perspective, both its origins and its future trends are discussed. In particular, we note several issues we consider important for publications in this field.

Synthesis, self-assembly, and magnetic behavior of a two-dimensional superlattice of single-crystal ε-Co nanoparticles

A method of producing high-quality magnetic colloidal dispersions by the rapid pyrolysis of cobalt carbonyl in an inert atmosphere was employed to produce monodispersed, stabilized, defect-free e-cobalt nanocrystals, with spherical shapes and sizes ranging from 3 to 17 nm. The size distribution and the shape of the nanocrystals were controlled by varying the surfactant (oleic acid, phosphonic oxides and acids, etc.), its concentration, and the reaction temperature. These particles have been observed to produce two-dimensional self-assemblies when evaporated at low rates in a controlled atmosphere. A collective behavior due to dipolar interactions has been observed in the low susceptibility measurements corresponding to a highly ordered fine particles system.

Novel two-step synthesis of controlled size and shape platinum nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous silica

Uniform shape and size platinum nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous silica (SBA-15) were prepared in the same solution by a novel two-step method. Platinum nanoparticles were prepared in aqueous solution of K2PtCl4, the reduction was carried out by bubbling hydrogen, the capping material was tri-block poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer. The mesoporous silica was synthesized using the same copolymer as template from tetraethyl orthosilicate by hydrolysis in acidic conditions. The “Pt-nanoparticles-in-mesoporous-silica” system was characterized by a combination of low-angle powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and N2 porosimetry. The platinum nanoparticles are encapsulated in the mesopores and retained their size and morphology. It appears that this hybrid material should be a superior three-dimensional high-surface-area catalyst for selective platinum-catalyzed reactions.

Synthesis of Colloidal Cobalt Nanoparticles with Controlled Size and Shapes

A method of producing high quality magnetic colloidal dispersions by the rapid pyrolysis of cobalt carbonyl in an inert atmosphere was employed to produce monodispersed, stabilized, defect-free ε-cobalt nanocrystals with spherical shapes and sizes ranging from 3 to 17 nm, as well as cubic and rod-like shaped particles. The size distribution and the shape of the nanocrystals were controlled by varying the surfactant composition (oleic acid, phosphonic oxides and acids), its concentration and the reaction temperature. These particles have been observed to produce 2D self-assemblies when evaporated at low rates in a controlled atmosphere. A combination of X-ray powder diffraction; transmission electron microscopy; and SQUID magnetometry has been used to characterize both the dispersed nanocrystals and the assembled superlattices.

Synthesis, structural order and magnetic behavior of self-assembled /spl epsi/-Co nanocrystal arrays

The synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with monodispere size distributions, their self assembly into ordered arrays and their magnetic behavior as a function of structural order (ferrofluids and 2D assemblies) are presented. Magnetic colloids of monodispersed, passivated, cobalt nanocrystals were produced by the rapid pyrolysis of cobalt carbonyl in solution. The size, size distribution (std. dev.<5%) and the shape of the nanocrystals were controlled by varying the surfactant, its concentration, the reaction rate and the reaction temperature. The Co particles are defect-free single crystals with a complex cubic structure related to the beta phase of manganese (/spl epsi/-Co). In the 2D assembly, a collective behavior was observed in the low-field susceptibility measurements where the magnetization of the zero field cooled process increases steadily and the magnetization of the field cooling process is independent the temperature. This was different from the observed behavior in a sample comprised of disordered interacting particles. A strong paramagnetic contribution appears at very low temperatures where the magnetization increases drastically after field cooling the sample. This has been attributed to the Co surfactant-particle interface since no magnetic atomic impurities are present in these samples.