Single-wall carbon nanotube alewives, process for making, and compositions thereof

US7288238B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• William Marsh Rice University · US

Inventors

• Richard E. Smalley · Houston, US
• Rajesh Kumar Saini · Duncan, US
• Ramesh Sivarajan · Shrewsbury, US
• Robert H. Hauge · Houston, US
• Virginia A. Davis · Webster, US
• Matteo Pasquali · Houston, US
• Lars Martin Ericson · Houston, US
• Satish Kumar · Hyderabad, IN
• Sreekumar Thaliyil Veedu · Kannur, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 2, 2002
• Grant date: Oct 30, 2007
• Expiry date: Jun 13, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S977/847
• WIPO field: Micro-structural and nano-technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The present invention involves alewives of highly aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT), process for making the same and compositions thereof. The present invention provides a method for effectively making carbon alewives, which are discrete, acicular-shaped aggregates of aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes and resemble the Atlantic fish of the same name. Single-wall carbon nanotube alewives can be conveniently dispersed in materials such as polymers, ceramics, metals, metal oxides and liquids. The process for preparing the alewives comprises mixing single-wall carbon nanotubes with 100% sulfuric acid or a superacid, heating and stirring, and slowly introducing water into the single-wall carbon nanotube/acid mixture to form the alewives. The alewives can be recovered, washed and dried. The properties of the single-wall carbon nanotubes are retained in the alewives.