Patent ID: 7927515

Claim:
A method for preparing nanocrystal-metal oxide-polymer composites, the method comprising: reacting a surfactant with nanocrystals to modify the surfaces of the nanocrystals, the surfactant having at least one reactive group selected from the group consisting of —SR 1 , —NR 1 R 2 , —OR 1 , —COOR 1 , —PR 1 R 2 , —P(═O)R 1 R 2 , —SiR 1 R 2 R 3 and —C(═O)R 1 (1) (wherein R 1 R 2 and R 3 , which may be the same or different, is selected from the group consisting of H, C 6 -C 24 alkyl, C 6 -C 24 alkenyl, C 6 -C 24 aryl and C 6 -C 24 alkoxy); mixing the surface-modified nanocrystals, a metal oxide precursor, a dispersant, another surfactant, a solvent and water, and drying the mixture to obtain nanocrystal-metal oxide composites comprising the nanocrystals within a metal oxide matrix; preparing a monomer capable of covalently bonding to organic reactive groups of the nanocrystal-metal oxide composites; and polymerizing the nanocrystal-metal oxide composites and the monomer to prepare a polymer from the monomer and form covalent bonds between the polymer and the organic reactive groups of the metal oxide matrix.