US Patent 7594949 - Metal nanoparticles fabrication using cross-linked polymers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7594949.html

This patent from a company called G-Nano teaches a way to synthesize silver nanoparticles using cross-linked polymers. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of making metal particles, comprising:

(a) providing internally cross-linked single-polymer molecules;

(b) contacting the single-polymer molecules with a metal salt to incorporate the metal salt into the single-polymer molecules; and

(c) causing the metal salt incorporated in the single-polymer molecules to form metal particles.