A method for synthesis of nanoparticles are described. The method includes dispersing metal oxide powder in a mixture of a base liquid and a surfactant to form a primary mixture, grinding the primary mixture using a grinding media by periodically adding a surfactant solution to form a slurry, extracting a predetermined amount of sample from the slurry at periodic time intervals to obtain a testing solution to assess particle size of in the slurry using a particle size analyzer; and systematically adding the surfactant solution and the grinding media to the slurry based on the assessed particle size in the testing solution until a mean particle size of the nanoparticles is achieved.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods for preparing high optical density solutions of nanoparticle, such as nanoplates, silver nanoplates or silver platelet nanoparticles, and to the solutions and substrates prepared by the methods. The process can include the addition of stabilizing agents (e.g., chemical or biological agents bound or otherwise linked to the nanoparticle surface) that stabilize the nanoparticle before, during, and/or after concentration, thereby allowing for the production of a stable, high optical density solution of silver nanoplates. The process can also include increasing the concentration of silver nanoplates within the solution, and thus increasing the solution optical density.

The invention relates to a stabilized lithium metal powder and to a method for producing the same, the stabilized, pure lithium metal powder having been passivated in an organic inert solvent under dispersal conditions with fatty acids or fatty acid esters according to the general formula (I) RCOOR, in which R stands for C.sub.10-C.sub.29 groups and R for H or C.sub.1-C.sub.8 groups.

The invention relates to a stabilized lithium metal powder and to a method for producing the same, the stabilized, pure lithium metal powder having been passivated in an organic inert solvent under dispersal conditions with fatty acids or fatty acid esters according to the general formula (I) RCOOR, in which R stands for C.sub.10-C.sub.29 groups and R for H or C.sub.1-C.sub.8 groups.

Provided is a method of making colloidal platinum nanoparticles. The method includes three consecutive steps: dissolving platinum powders by a halogen-containing oxidizing agent in HCl to obtain an inorganic platinum solution containing an inorganic platinum compound; adding a reducing agent into the same reaction vessel to form a mixture solution and heating the mixture solution to undergo a reduction reaction and produce a composition containing platinum nanoparticles, residues and a gas, and guiding the gas out of the reaction vessel, wherein the amount of the residues is less than 15% by volume of the mixture solution; and adding a medium into the same reaction vessel to disperse the platinum nanoparticles to obtain colloidal platinum nanoparticles. The method is simple, safe, time-effective, cost-effective, and has the advantage of high yield.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles, highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles prepared by the method, and a method of isolating nucleic acid using the highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles. The highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles prepared according to the present invention contain magnetic nanoparticles completely coated with silica, can be used as a reagent for isolating biomaterials, particularly, nucleic acids, and can isolate and purify nucleic acid in a high yield.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles, highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles prepared by the method, and a method of isolating nucleic acid using the highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles. The highly active silica magnetic nanoparticles prepared according to the present invention contain magnetic nanoparticles completely coated with silica, can be used as a reagent for isolating biomaterials, particularly, nucleic acids, and can isolate and purify nucleic acid in a high yield.

A silver sintering preparation in the form of a silver sintering paste comprising 70 to 95 wt.-% of coated silver particles (A) and 5 to 30 wt.-% of organic solvent (B) or in the form of a silver sintering preform comprising 74.5 to 100 wt.-% of coated silver particles (A) and 0 to 0.5 wt.-% of organic solvent (B), wherein the coating of the coated silver particles (A) comprises silver acetylacetonate (silver 2,4-pentanedionate) and/or at least one silver salt of the formula C.sub.nH.sub.2n+1COOAg with n being an integer in the range of 7 to 10, and wherein the at least one silver salt is thermally decomposable at >160? C.

Methods for reducing a concentration of hexavalent chromium within a first aluminum slurry by adding a reducing agent to form a second aluminum slurry are provided. The reducing agent causes a chemical reduction reaction with the hexavalent chromium compound of the first aluminum slurry to form a trivalent chromium compound within the second aluminum slurry such that a first weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the first aluminum slurry is decreased to a second weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the second aluminum slurry, with the second weight ratio being less than the first weight ratio.

Methods for reducing a concentration of hexavalent chromium within a first aluminum slurry by adding a reducing agent to form a second aluminum slurry are provided. The reducing agent causes a chemical reduction reaction with the hexavalent chromium compound of the first aluminum slurry to form a trivalent chromium compound within the second aluminum slurry such that a first weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the first aluminum slurry is decreased to a second weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the second aluminum slurry, with the second weight ratio being less than the first weight ratio.