Patent ID: 7820737

Claim:
A process of synthesizing a composite colloidal polymer-inorganic material, comprising the steps of: a) synthesizing a dispersion of polymer microparticles in a liquid; b) treating said dispersion of polymer microparticles to modify an outer surface of the polymer microparticles to provide an effective concentration of ligands on the outer surface of the polymer microparticles, the ligands being selected to form a complex with atoms of a metal, ions of the metal, or molecular moieties containing the metal at the surface of the polymer microparticle; c) adding atoms of the metal, ions of the metal, or molecular moieties containing the metal to the dispersion of polymer microparticles under conditions suitable to facilitate formation of a complex between the ligands and the atoms of the metal, ions of the metal, or molecular moieties at the surface of the polymer microparticles; and d) exposing the dispersion of polymer microparticles to an effective agent which interacts with the atoms of the metal, ions of the metal, or molecular moieties containing the metal to form nanoparticles on the outer surface of the polymer microparticles, the nanoparticles being comprised of at least the metal, the effective concentration of ligands being selected to give nanoparticles with specified material properties.