Environmentally inert nano-crystalline materials

A novel process to generate environmentally-inert nano-crystalline materials is discussed here. In this process, nano-crystals of different metals such as Ni, Cu, Al, Ti etc. can be produced in a single processing step with each crystal protected by several carbon (graphite) layers. The technology is an adaptation of the arc technique utilized to produce carbon nano-crystals (Fullerenes) and can be controlled to produce nano-crystals with a variety of coatings including graphite. These nano-crystals are in the 10-50 nm diameter range (typically 30 nm) and of uniform size distribution. These nano-crystals were chemically stable in air and inert to various acids. Further, initial (unoptimized) experiments demonstrated the feasibility of consolidating these coated nano-particles using conventional processing approaches. Novel applications of these nano-crystals such as in the magnetic recording industry are also discussed here.