Patent ID: 6054495
Filing Date: 2000-04-25
Classification: B01J,B22F,B82Y,C23C,Y10T

Abstract:
A process for making a powder containing metallic particles, said process comprising the steps of:(1) forming a first dispersion of surfactant vesicles in the presence of catalytic first metal ions at a first concentration, said surfactant beinglipid A or a mixture of lipid A and lipid B at a ratio of lipid A:lipid B, said lipid A having the structure (A): ##STR9## said lipid B having the structure (B): ##STR10## wherein R, R', R"" and R'"" are selected from the group consisting of saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, haloaliphatic, aromatic, haloaromatic compounds and mixtures thereof, wherein R'"" further comprises a positively charged group, said first concentration being not more than about a stoichiometrically sufficient concentration to bind to said lipid (A), said first dispersion having a pH;(2) forming a second dispersion by controlling said pH of said first dispersion to between about 5-7;(3) forming a third dispersion by mixing a metallization bath containing second metal ions with said second dispersion; and(4) forming a fourth dispersion by incubating said third dispersion at a temperature sufficient to reduce said second metal ions to metal particles having an average diameter between about 1-100 nm.