Carbon fibers formed from single-wall carbon nanotubes

US6683783B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• William Marsh Rice University · US

Inventors

• Richard E. Smalley · Houston, US
• Daniel T. Colbert · Houston, US
• Hongjie Dai · Sunnyvale, US
• Jie Liu · Houston, US
• Andrew G. Rinzler · Newberry, US
• Jason H. Hafner · Houston, US
• Ken Smith · Katy, US
• Ting Guo · Davis, US
• Pavel Nikolaev · Houston, US
• Andreas Thess · Aspenhausiedlung, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 22, 1999
• Grant date: Jan 27, 2004
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/30
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method for purifying a mixture comprising single-wall carbon nanotubes and amorphous carbon contaminate is disclosed. The method includes the steps of heating the mixture under oxidizing conditions sufficient to remove the amorphous carbon, followed by recovering a product comprising at least about 80% by weight of single-wall carbon nanotubes. A method for producing tubular carbon molecules of about 5 to 500 nm in length is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of cutting single-wall nanotube containing-material to form a mixture of tubular carbon molecules having lengths in the range of 5-500 nm and isolating a fraction of the molecules having substantially equal lengths. The nanotubes may be used, singularly or in multiples, in power transmission cables, in solar cells, in batteries, as antennas, as molecular electronics, as probes and manipulators, and in composites.