Method and Apparatus Pertaining to Nanoensembles Having Integral Variable Potential Junctions

Abstract

Carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystalline particles that are each sized no larger than about 100 nanometers have a metal of choice disposed thereabout. A variable potential junction is formed between the metallic coatings and the particles that enables carrier entropy to be efficiently transported from the variable potential junction to the coating.

1 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 a carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle sized no larger than about 100 nanometers; and
 a metallic coating conformally disposed about the particle; 
   such that there is a variable potential junction between the metallic coating and the particle that enables carrier entropy to be efficiently transported from the variable potential junction to the coating.   
     
     
         2 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle comprises silicon carbide. 
     
     
         3 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the metallic coating comprises a silicide. 
     
     
         4 . The article of manufacture of  claim 3  wherein the silicide comprises a silicide from the group consisting of nickel silicide, chromium silicide, iron silicide, and manganese silicide. 
     
     
         5 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the metallic coating exerts inwardly-directed pressure on the particle. 
     
     
         6 . The article of manufacture of  claim 5  wherein the inwardly-directed pressure at least equals one giga-Pascal. 
     
     
         7 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the metallic coating has a thermal expansion coefficient that is at least twice the thermal expansion coefficient of the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle. 
     
     
         8 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle comprises a mixture of a plurality of differing polytypes. 
     
     
         9 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle is doped with a doping material. 
     
     
         10 . The article of manufacture of  claim 9  wherein the doping material comprises at least one of aluminum, boron, and nitrogen. 
     
     
         11 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  comprising a plurality of the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particles, wherein each of the particles has one of the metallic coatings formed there around. 
     
     
         12 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of particles and the metallic coating in combination are comprised of X atoms, and wherein the variable potential junction comprises an interfacial region made up of atoms that comprise at least about ten percent of X. 
     
     
         13 . A method comprising:
 providing a plurality of carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particles sized no larger than about 100 nanometers;   conformally forming a metallic coating around each of the particles to thereby form a variable potential junction between the metallic coating and the particle that enables carrier entropy to be efficiently transported from the variable potential junction to the coating.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle comprise silicon carbide. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the metallic coating comprises a silicide. 
     
     
         16 . The article of manufacture of  claim 15  wherein the silicide comprises a silicide from the group consisting of nickel silicide, chromium silicide, iron silicide, and manganese silicide. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the metallic coating exerts inwardly-directed pressure on the particle. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the inwardly-directed pressure at least equals one giga-Pascal. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the metallic coating has a thermal expansion coefficient that is at least twice the thermal expansion coefficient of the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particle. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein conformally forming a metallic coating around each of the particles comprises using one of spark plasma and chemical vapor deposition processing to form the metallic coating around each of the particles to thereby form the variable potential junction. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13  wherein conformally forming a metallic coating around each of the particles comprises forming a mixture of a plurality of differing polytypes of the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particles. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 doping the carbon-containing sp3-bonded solid refractory nanocrystallite particles with a doping material. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the doping material comprises at least one of aluminum, boron, and nitrogen. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the plurality of particles and the metallic coating in combination are comprised of X atoms, and wherein forming the variable potential junction comprises forming an interfacial region made up of atoms that comprise at least about ten percent of X.