We claim:
1. A process for the preparation of nano-sized colloidal metal particles, said process comprising treating wet fungus or fungus extract with a metal ion solution at a temperature in the range of 15 to 40 C. for a time period ranging between 2 to 120 hours, separating the biomass to obtain the nano-sized colloidal metal particles.
2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the concentration of the metal ions in the solution ranges from 0.01 to 0.2 g per gram of the wet fungus mycelial mass.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the metal ion solution is prepared by dissolving the desired metal salt or acid in water.
4. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the metal ions comprise metal from Group IB to VIIIB of the periodic table.
5. A process as claimed in claim 4 wherein the metal ions are selected from the group consisting of Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, Ni, Rh and Ru.
6. A process as claimed in claim 3 wherein the metal salt used for the preparation of the metal ion solution is selected from the group consisting of halide, carbonate and nitrate.
7. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the concentration of the metal ion per gram of the wet fungus or fungus extract is in the range of 10 to 200 mg.
8. A process as claimed in claim 7 wherein the concentration of the metal ion per gram of the wet fungus or fungus extract is in the range of 10 to 100 mg.
9. A process as claimed in claim 7 wherein the concentration of the metal ion per gram of the wet fungus or fungus extract is in the range of 25 to 100 mg.
10. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ratio of water to wet fungus or fungus extract ranges between 1:100 (ww).
11. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fungus used is selected from different naturally occurring species of Fusarium oxysporum.
12. A process as claimed in claim 11 wherein the fungus is used in the form of a whole cell wet solid mass or a fungus extract.
13. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reaction of the fungus and the metal ion source is carried out in water.
14. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the temperature for incubation is in the range of 23-33 C.
15. A process as claimed in claim 14 wherein the temperature for incubation is in the range of 25-29 C.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Device for grasping and subsequently displacing an object to a delivery position, comprising a gripper suspended from a trolley and provided with at least three prongs which are each pivotable relative to a carrier and which are displaceable by control means from a spread position to a closing position and vice versa, characterized in that the control means are formed by a coil (5) connected to the carrier (4) and a magnetic core (7) which is movable in the coil and coupled to the prongs (10) and which consists of a system of permanent magnets (14, 15), which coil can be energized by a current, wherein the magnets are disposed such that the total resulting flux has a constant pattern relative to the coil in all positions.
2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the magnets (14, 15) are arranged in the magnetic system at an axial distance (16) from each other which is smaller than or equal to the stroke length (s) of the core (7), wherein the magnets are placed in opposite pole position relative to each other.
3. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the distance between the centre of the magnets is at least equal to the stroke length (s) of the core (7).