1. A metallic composition comprising a plurality of ultrafine metallic particles having a tight size distribution when at least about 80% of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles has a diameter within a range of N\xb115% N, wherein N is the average diameter of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles, the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles obtained in accordance with a process comprising:
(a) obtaining a reducing solution comprising a reducing agent and a stabilizing agent;
(b) obtaining a metal-ammonia solution comprising a metal-ammonia complex by reacting a metal nitrate with one of ammonium hydroxide and ammonia, wherein the reaction comprises only water, the metal nitrate, and either the ammonium hydroxide or the ammonia, and further wherein said metal-ammonia solution is obtained under atmospheric pressure;
(c) forming a reaction mixture comprising the reducing solution and the metal-ammonia solution;
(d) maintaining the reaction mixture under a suitable condition for a time sufficient to reduce the metal-ammonia complex to metallic particles; and optionally,
(e) isolating the metallic particles.
2. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the metal-ammonia complex is the complex of ammonia with one of a transition metal and a noble metal.
3. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the metal-ammonia complex is the complex of ammonia with a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Pd, and Ag.
4. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the reducing agent is a saccharide.
5. The metallic composition of claim 4, wherein the saccharide is an aldose.
6. The metallic composition of claim 5, wherein the aldose is glucose.
7. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing agent is a water-soluble resin.
8. The metallic composition of claim 7, wherein the water-soluble resin is a naturally occurring water-soluble resin.
9. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing agent is one of a gum arabic and a salt of naphthalene sulphonic-formaldehyde co-polymers.
10. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing agent is removed during the isolation of the metallic particles.
11. The metallic composition of claim 10, wherein the stabilizing agent is removed through hydrolysis.
12. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ultrafine metallic particles has an average size of less than about 100 nm.
13. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ultrafine metallic particles has a high degree of crystallinity.
14. The metallic composition of claim 13, wherein at least about 80% of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles is highly crystalline.
15. The metallic composition of claim 13, wherein about 100% of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles is highly crystalline.
16. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ultrafine metallic particles has a low degree of agglomeration.
17. The metallic composition of claim 16, wherein the degree of agglomeration is measured with an laggl value and wherein the laggl of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles is less than about 1.2.
18. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein at least about 80% of the plurality of ultra-fine metallic particles is not irreversibly aggregated.
19. The metallic composition of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ultrafine metallic particles when re-dispersed into a liquid forms dispersion which is stable for at least one week.
20. The metallic composition of claim 19, wherein the liquid is water.
21. The metallic composition of claim 20, wherein the dispersion is stable for 12 weeks.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An image-processing apparatus comprising:
receiving means for receiving image data;
recording means for recording the image data received by said receiving means onto recording material;
manual-feeding means for receiving and feeding manually-loaded recording material of various size;
inquiry means for, before said recording means records the image data, making an inquiry of an operator of said image processing apparatus and receiving an instruction as to whether said recording means is to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means; and
control means for causing said recording means to record the image data on the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means.
2. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
storage means for storing the image data received by said receiving means; and
accommodating means accommodating pre-loaded recording material,
wherein, when an instruction not to perform is given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means, said control means, depending upon an operational criterion, either causes said storage means to store the image data or causes said recording means to record the image data onto recording material from said accommodating means.
3. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made by said inquiry means after a lapse of a predetermined period, said control means, depending upon the operational criterion, either causes said storage means to store the image data or causes said recording means to record the image data onto the recording material from said accommodating means.
4. An image-processing apparatus comprising:
input means for inputting image data;
size-detection means for detecting a size of the image data input by said input means;
manual-feeding means for receiving and feeding manually-loaded recording material of various size;
determining means for determining, based on the size of the image data detected by said size-detection means, a recording-material size appropriate for recording the image data input by said input means; and
display means for displaying, when feeding is to be performed by said manual-feeding means, the recording-material size determined by said determining means.
5. An image-processing apparatus comprising:
input means for inputting image data;
storage means for storing the image data input by said input means;
manual-feeding means for receiving and feeding manually-loaded recording material of various size;
recording means for recording the image data input by said input means onto the recording material fed by said manual-feeding means;
determining means for determining whether the image data input by said input means has been fit by said recording means onto the recording material; and
control means for discontinuing storage of the image data by said storage means when it is determined by said determining means that the image data has been fit onto the recording material, and for continuing storage of the image data by said storage means when it is determined by said determining means that the image data has not been fit onto the recording material.
6. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:
size-detection means for detecting a size of the image data input by said input means; and
counter means for counting a time elapsed as the recording material passes through a predetermined position,
wherein said determining means determines whether the image data has been fit onto the recording material based on the size detected by said size-detection means and the time counted by said counter means,.
7. A control method for an image-processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving image data;
(b) making an inquiry to an operator of the image-processing apparatus as to whether an image based on the image data received in step (a) is to be recorded; and
(c) recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto manually-loaded recording material fed by a manual-feeding mechanism for use with the image-processing apparatus when an instruction to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).
8. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of, prior to step (b), selecting whether recording-material feeding is to be done by said manual-feeding mechanism, and wherein the inquiry in step (b) is made when feeding by said manual-feeding mechanism has been selected.
9. The control method according to claim 7, wherein said image-processing apparatus includes a cassette for holding preloaded recording material, and the recording material fed by said manual-feeding mechanism is not taken from said cassette.
10. The control method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto recording material from said cassette when an instruction not to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).
11. The control method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of recording the image based on the image data received in step (a) onto recording material from said cassette when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made in step (b) after a lapse of a predetermined period.
12. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing the image data received in step (a) when an instruction not to record is given in response to the inquiry made in step (b).
13. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing the image data received in step (a) when no instruction has been given in response to the inquiry made in step (b) after a lapse of a predetermined period.
14. A control method for an image-processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:
(a) inputting image data;
(b) detecting a size of the image data input in step (a);
(c) determining a recording-material size appropriate for recording the image data input in step (a) based on the size of the image data detected in step (b); and
(d) displaying the recording-material size determined in step (c) before the start of recording when the recording is to be done on recording material fed by a manual-feeding mechanism for use with said image-processing apparatus.
15. A control method for an image-processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:
(a) inputting image data;
(b) storing the image data input in step (a);
(c) recording the image data input in step (a) onto recording material fed by a manual-feeding mechanism for use with the image-processing apparatus;
(d) determining whether the image data has been correctly recorded on the recording material;
(e) erasing the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (d) that the image data has been correctly recorded; and
(f) holding the image data stored in step (b) when it is determined in step (d) that the image data has not been correctly recorded.
16. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:
(g) detecting a size of the image data input in step (a); and
(h) counting a time required for the recording material fed by the manual-feeding mechanism to pass through a predetermined position,
wherein the determination of step (d) is made based on the size detected in step (g) and the time counted in step (h).