PROCESS FOR COATING NANOPARTICLES WITH METAL BY MEANS OF ELECTROLESS DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for coating nanoparticles with metal by means of an electroless deposition technique. The process does not use expensive noble metal salts and reducing agents and can be carried out in water as solvent and at low temperatures. The homogeneous metal-coated nanoparticles are particularly suitable for use as fillers in metal-matrix composites, in which the deposited metal layer functions as dispersion compatibilizer between non-metallic nanoparticles and metal matrix. The introduction of such metal-coated nanoparticles produced according to the invention into metals is easier compared to unfunctionalized particles in the case of which agglomerate formation occurs, which significantly reduces the production costs for the metal-matrix composites. The process of the invention comprises the steps: a) thiol functionalization of the surface of the nanoparticles, b) contacting of the nanoparticles with an aqueous metal salt solution, c) addition of a reducing agent which reduces the metal salt solution, as a result of which deposition of metal on the nanoparticles occurs.