Processes for depositing nanoparticles upon non-conductive substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776916-B2
Application number	US-201514606292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

In various aspects, the processes disclosed herein may include the steps of inducing an electric field about a non-conductive substrate, and depositing functionalized nanoparticles upon the non conductive substrate by contacting a nanoparticle dispersion with the non-conductive substrate, the nanoparticle dispersion comprising functionalized nanoparticles having an electrical charge, the electric field drawing the functionalized nanoparticles to the non-conductive substrate. In various aspects, the related composition of matter disclosed herein comprise functionalized nanoparticles bonded to a surface of a non-conductive fiber, the surface of the non-conductive fiber comprising a sizing adhered to the surface of the non-conductive fiber. This Abstract is presented to meet requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) only. This Abstract is not intended to identify key elements of the processes, and related apparatus and compositions of matter disclosed herein or to delineate the scope thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process, comprising the steps of:
inducing an electric field through—a porous non-conductive substrate;
contacting a nanoparticle dispersion with the non-conductive substrate, the nanoparticle dispersion comprising functionalized nanoparticles, the functionalized nanoparticles having a charge;
drawing the functionalized nanoparticles into pores of the non-conductive substrate using the electric field; and
depositing the functionalized nanoparticles within the non-conductive substrate.

2. The process of claim 1 , with a voltage source inducing the electric field.

3. The process of claim 1 , the electric field being static.

4. The process of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
making a stencil, the stencil allowing the selective passage of the nanoparticle dispersion through the stencil to form pathways in the non-conductive substrate; and,
forming pathways of nanoparticles in the non-conductive substrate by applying the nanoparticle dispersion to the non-conductive substrate using the stencil, the non-conductive substrate having an induced electric field.

5. The process of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
forming nanoparticle printer ink comprising the nanoparticle dispersion; and,
depositing hierarchically structured patterns of functionalized nanoparticles upon a non-conductive substrate by inkjet printing of the nanoparticle printer ink onto the non-conductive substrate using an inkjet printer, the non-conductive substrate having an induced electric field.

6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
bonding the functionalized nanoparticles to the non-conductive substrate following the step of depositing the functionalized nanoparticles within the non-conductive substrate.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized nanoparticles are electrically conductive.

8. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
extending an electrode into the substrate by depositing the functionalized nanoparticles within the non-conductive substrate.

9. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
creating electrically conductive pathways by depositing the functionalized nanoparticles within the non-conductive substrate.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
masking portions of a surface of the non-conductive substrate.

11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
forming functionalized nanoparticles by bonding polyethyleneimine (PEI) to oxidized carbon atoms upon surfaces of nanoparticles comprised of carbon.

12. The process of claim 1 , the non-conductive substrate comprising non-conductive fibers selected from the group consisting of glass, aromatic polyamide, cotton, wool, and polyethylene terephthalate.

13. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
forming a covalent bond between the nanoparticle and the non-conductive substrate, the functional group that functionalizes the nanoparticle selected to form the covalent bond.

Assignees

• Univ Delaware

Inventors

• Thostenson Erik

Classifications

• C25D13/02 Primary

  with inorganic material · CPC title

• C09D5/4419

  with polymers obtained otherwise than by polymerisation reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• Y10T428/254

  Polymeric or resinous material · CPC title

• C25D13/22

  Servicing or operating {apparatus or multistep processes} · CPC title

• C03C25/44 Primary

  Carbon, e.g. graphite · CPC title