Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080210370 | MACROSCOPIC ORDERED ASSEMBLY OF CARBON NANOTUBES - The present invention is directed to the creation of macroscopic materials and objects comprising aligned nanotube segments. The invention entails aligning single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) segments that are suspended in a fluid medium and then removing the aligned segments from suspension in a way that macroscopic, ordered assemblies of SWNT are formed. The invention is further directed to controlling the natural proclivity or nanotube segments to self assemble into or ordered structures by modifying the environment of the nanotubes and the history of that environment prior to and during the process. The materials and objects are “macroscopic” in that they are large enough to be seen without the aid of a microscope or of the dimensions of such objects. These macroscopic ordered SWNT materials and objects have the remarkable physical, electrical, and chemical properties that SWNT exhibit on the microscopic scale because they are comprised of nanotubes, each of which is aligned in the same direction and in contact with its nearest neighbors. An ordered assembly of closest SWNT also serves as a template for growth of more and larger ordered assemblies. An ordered assembly further serves as a foundation for post processing treatments that modify the assembly internally to specifically enhance selected material properties such as shear strength, tensile strength, compressive strength, toughness, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. | 09-04-2008 |
20080213162 | Amplification of Carbon Nanotubes Via Seeded-Growth Methods - The present invention is directed towards methods (processes) of providing large quantities of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of defined diameter and chirality (i.e., precise populations). In such processes, CNT seeds of a pre-selected diameter and chirality are grown to many (e.g., hundreds) times their original length. This is optionally followed by cycling some of the newly grown material back as seed material for regrowth. Thus, the present invention provides for the large-scale production of precise populations of CNTs, the precise composition of such populations capable of being optimized for a particular application (e.g., hydrogen storage). The present invention is also directed to complexes of CNTs and transition metal catalyst precurors, such complexes typically being formed en route to forming CNT seeds. | 09-04-2008 |
20080224100 | METHODS FOR PRODUCING COMPOSITES OF FULLERENE NANOTUBES AND COMPOSITIONS THEREOF - This invention relates generally to a method for producing composites of fullerene nanotubes and compositions thereof. In one embodiment, the present invention involves a method of producing a composite material that includes a matrix and a fullerene nanotube material embedded within said matrix. In another embodiment, a method of producing a composite material containing fullerene nanotube material is disclosed. This method includes the steps of preparing an assembly of a fibrous material; adding the fullerene nanotube material to the fibrous material; and adding a matrix material precursor to the fullerene nanotube material and the fibrous material. | 09-18-2008 |
20080299029 | Gas-Phase Process for Growing Carbon Nanotubes Utilizing Sequential Multiple Catalyst Injection - This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for making carbon nanotubes from a flowing gaseous carbon-containing feedstock, such as CO, at superatmospheric pressure and at temperatures between about 500° C. and about 2000° C. utilizing a reactor wherein the flowing carbon-containing feedstock sequentially passes multiple points of catalyst injection, where the catalyst is provided by the decomposition of one or more catalyst precursor species, such as Fe(CO) | 12-04-2008 |
20080311025 | METHOD FOR FORMING A PATTERNED ARRAY OF FULLERENE NANOTUBES - This invention relates generally to forming a patterned array of fullerene nanotubes. In one embodiment, a nanoscale array of microwells is provided on a substrate; a metal catalyst is deposited in each microwells; and a stream of hydrocarbon or CO feedstock gas is directed at the substrate under conditions that effect growth of fullerene nanotubes from each microwell. | 12-18-2008 |
20090004094 | METHOD FOR CUTTING FULLERENE NANOTUBES - This invention relates generally to cutting fullerene nanotubes. In one embodiment, the present invention provides for preparation of homogeneous populations of short fullerene nanotubes by cutting and annealing (reclosing) the nanotube pieces followed by fractionation. The cutting and annealing processes may be carried out on a purified nanotube bucky paper, on felts prior to purification of nanotubes or on any material that contains fullerene nanotubes. In one embodiment, oxidative etching with concentrated nitric acid is employed to cut fullerene nanotubes into shorter lengths. The annealed nanotubes may be disbursed in an aqueous detergent solution or an organic solvent for the fractionation. Closed tubes can also be derivatized to facilitate fractionation, for example, by adding solubilizing moieties to the end caps. | 01-01-2009 |
20090169463 | ARRAY OF FULLERENE NANOTUBES - This invention relates generally to forming an array of fullerene nanotubes. In one embodiment, a macroscopic molecular array is provided comprising at least about 10 | 07-02-2009 |
20100008843 | MULTI-STEP PURIFICATION OF SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES - The present invention relates to processes for the purification of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Known methods of single-wall carbon nanotube production result in a single-wall carbon nanotube product that contains single-wall carbon nanotubes in addition to impurities including residual metal catalyst particles and amounts of small amorphous carbon sheets that surround the catalyst particles and appear on the side of the single-wall carbon nanotubes. The present purification processes remove the extraneous carbon as well as metal-containing residual catalyst particles. | 01-14-2010 |
20100143718 | POLYMER-WRAPPED SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES - The present invention relates to new compositions of matter and articles of manufacture comprising SWNTs as nanometer scale conducting rods dispersed in an electrically-insulating matrix. These compositions of matter have novel and useful electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties including applications in antennas, electromagnetic and electro-optic devices, and high-toughness materials. Other compositions of matter and articles of manufacture are disclosed. including polymer-coated and polymer wrapped single-wall nanotubes (SWNTs), small ropes of polymer-coated and polymer-wrapped SWNTs and materials comprising same. This composition provides one embodiment of the SWNT conducting-rod composite mentioned above, and also enables creation of high-concentration suspensions of SWNTs and compatibilization of SWNTs with polymeric matrices in composite materials. This solubilization and compatibilization, in turn, enables chemical manipulation of SWNT and production of composite fibers, films, and solids comprising SWNTs. | 06-10-2010 |
20110086781 | METHOD FOR FORMING COMPOSITES OF SUB-ARRAYS OF FULLERENE NANOTUBES - The formation of arrays of fullerene nanotubes is described. A microscopic molecular array of fullerene nanotubes is formed by assembling subarrays of up to 10 | 04-14-2011 |
20120003629 | Biological control of nanoparticle nucleation, shape and crystal phase - The present invention includes compositions and methods for selective binding of amino acid oligomers to semiconductor and elemental carbon-containing materials. One form of the present invention is a method for controlling the particle size of the semiconductor or elemental carbon-containing material by interacting an amino acid oligomer that specifically binds the material with solutions that can result in the formation of the material. The same method can be used to control the aspect ratio of the nanocrystal particles of the semiconductor material. Another form of the present invention is a method to create nanowires from the semiconductor or elemental carbon-containing material. Yet another form of the present invention is a biologic scaffold comprising a substrate capable of binding one or more biologic materials, one or more biologic materials attached to the substrate, and one or more elemental carbon-containing molecules attached to one or more biologic materials. | 01-05-2012 |