Patent ID: 7766993

Claim:
A process of making multi-functional nanoparticles water-soluble, said process comprising: mixing nanoparticles of one of a metal sulfide, a metal selenide, and a metal with a noble metal precursor in a first solvent, to form a first mixture of said multi-functional nanoparticles, wherein each of said multi-functional nanoparticles comprises a single noble metal portion bound to one or more portions of one of said metal sulfide, said metal selenide, and said metal, which differs from said noble metal; heating said first mixture; cooling said first mixture to room temperature; separating said multi-functional nanoparticles from said first mixture, wherein said multi-functional nanoparticles have a hydrophobic coating; dispersing said multi-functional nanoparticles with said hydrophobic coating in an organic solvent to form a dispersion; mixing said dispersion with an aqueous solution of a surfactant to form multi-functional nanoparticles with a hydrophilic coating; removing said organic solvent from said dispersion; separating said multi-functional nanoparticles with said hydrophilic coating from said dispersion; and dispersing said multi-functional nanoparticles with a hydrophilic coating in water.