National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Jonathan Chavez

Dale L Huber

John Daniel Watt

Lauren Marie Ammerman

A method for creating nanoparticles directly from bulk metal by applying ultrasound to the surface in the presence of a two-part surfactant system. Implosive collapse of cavitation bubbles near the bulk metal surface generates powerful microjets, leading to material ejection. This liberated material is captured and stabilized by a surfactant bilayer in the form of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles can be produced regardless of the bulk metal form factor. The method is generally applicable of metals and alloys. The method can be applied to an environmentally important problem, the reclamation of gold from an electronic waste stream.

Direct formation of metal nanoparticles using ultrasound

The invention provides a green chemistry, aqueous method to synthesize gold nanoparticles directly from bulk gold sources. The method involves the ultrasonication of bulk gold in water in the presence of an alkythiol species and a quaternary ammonium surfactant. An organic bilayer forms on the surface of the gold which renders it susceptible to material ejection from the violent collapse of cavitation bubbles. This ejected material is stabilized in solution by the formation of an organic bilayer and can be easily separated. It can then be subjected to an aqueous digestive ripening step to give a gold nanoparticle ensemble with a well-defined plasmon resonance. This method is applicable to a number of different sources of bulk gold. The method can be applied to an environmentally important problem; the recovery of gold from electronic waste streams. For example, gold nanoparticles can be extracted directly from the surface of SIM cards, with no prior manipulation of the cards necessary.

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Grovetown, GA, United States of America

Jonathan Chavez