We produce the purest nanoparticles from various materials and disperse them in freely selectable liquids during production. Our laser method guarantees freedom from chemical impurities and electrostatically stabilizes the colloids on request.
Typical nanoparticle dispersions and supported nanoparticles can be ordered from us directly. Please just call us or drop an email!
Silver nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles are mostly used for their biological properties, but some applications make use of their electrical or optical properties as well. The antimicrobial effect of silver nanoparticles makes them interesting for biological and medical applications: the high chemical reactivity of silver ions allows the silver surface to enter strong bonds with groups containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or oxygen, which then prevents the spreading of bacteria or fungi.
Contrary to most silver nanoparticles on the market, laser-generated nanoparticles are not synthesized chemically, but actually made from real, pure silver by physical laser ablation, preventing chemical impurities. We produce such silver nanoparticles in water and numerous organic solvents, which, together with their purity, provides advantages for new developments in all application areas for nano-silver. Silver-containing alloys, e.g. gold-silver, expand the range of applications with regard to optical properties (plasmon resonance), bioactivity and corrosion-chemical stability (Nano-safety by Design).
Gold nanoparticles
Gold nanoparticles are mainly used in biotechnology and biomedicine. Their optical absorption spectrum, affinity to thiol groups, and toxicological innocuousness are the main properties that predestine gold nanoparticles for diagnostical and therapeutical applications. In in-vitro analysis, gold nanoparticles are used to locate viruses, bacteria or proteins in rapid tests, making use of their characteristic red color. This effect is well known e.g. from pregnancy tests, cocaine tests or cancer tests. In in-vivo applications, gold nanoparticles can be used in picture-giving localization as well as diagnosis, and hyperthermic treatment allows the targeted destruction of cells.
Contrary to most gold nanoparticles, our nanoparticles are ablated from real, pure gold by physical laser ablation and are therefore free from chemical impurities. Particular produces such colloids and also conjugates ligand-free gold nanoparticles with biomolecules directly during generation. Besides their purity, these gold conjugates excel by superior conjugation efficiencies (for high yield) and surface coverage (for high functionality). The final product is free of citrate or other particle-associated residual chemicals, so that bio-response studies can focus on pure conjugate functionality. In addition, our gold nanoparticles are used in analytics (reduced background in MALDI and SERS) and catalysis (higher process stabilities, see below).
Platinum nanoparticles
Platinum nanoparticles are especially interesting in catalysis, as platinum is one of the most important materials used in catalytic processes, binding hydrogen, oxygen and other gases. In the form of nanoparticles, platinum has a substantially higher effectiveness because of the increased specific surface area. At sizes of 10 nm, 20 % of the platinum atoms directly interact with the surroundings of the nanoparticle. Platinum also has slight toxic effects on human cells and is therefore used for commercial cancer therapy. Some technical nanoparticle applications also use the conductivity of nano-platinum.
Higher purity of nanoparticles from gold or platinum leads to higher catalytical activity. However, removing ligands from chemically synthesized metal nanoparticles involves effort and costs and is not completely possible. Contrary to most other platinum nanoparticles, ours are not synthesized chemically, but actually made from real, pure platinum by physical laser ablation. These nanoparticles do not contain chemical impurities and are free of ligands. The process also provides them with a large surface activity as the nanoparticles show a large surface defect density. Particular produces such colloids and also directly attaches platinum nanoparticles to catalytic supports during the platinum nanoparticle generation process to ensure highest adsorption efficiencies. Besides their purity, these nanoparticle catalysts excel by highest catalytic activities. Series of platinum alloys can also be made by this process.
