US Patent 7482059 - Semiconductor nanocrystal with metal coating

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7482059.html

This patent from Evident Technologies teaches a solution to a problem of oxidation of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) that can reduce the fluorescence properties over time by providing a protective metal coating. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor nanocrystal complex comprising:

a semiconductor nanocrystal core having an outer surface and having a diameter between 1 nanometers and 20 nanometers; and

a metal layer formed on the outer surface of the semiconductor nanocrystal core after synthesis of the semiconductor nanocrystal core, wherein no linking molecules are used to attach the metal layer to the core.