Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C.
Method for cutting nanotubes
This invention relates generally to cutting single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT). In one embodiment, the present invention provides for preparation of homogeneous populations of short carbon nanotube molecules 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 single-wall nanotubes. In one embodiment, oxidative etching with concentrated nitric acid is employed to cut SWNTs 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.
William Marsh Rice University
Y Y G H Y H Y Y Y G B Y C Y Y G B H G H D B B Y Y Y G Y G Y C B Y H D Y B B Y B B G G B Y D B Y Y H H C C Y Y B B H G G B H H B
Y10S Y02E G11B H01L Y02P H01M Y10S Y10S Y10S G11C B01J Y10S C01B Y10S Y10S G11C B01J H01M G11C H01L D01F B01J B01J Y10S Y10S Y10S G11B Y10T G11C Y10S C01B B01J Y10T H01M D01F Y10T B01J B01J Y10S B01J B01J G11C G11B B01J Y10S D21H B82B Y10S Y10S H01M H01G C01B C01B Y02E Y10T B01J B01J H01M G11C G11B B01J H01M H01L B01J
additional additional additional inventional additional inventional additional additional additional inventional inventional additional additional additional additional additional inventional inventional additional inventional inventional inventional additional additional additional additional additional additional inventional additional inventional inventional additional inventional inventional additional inventional inventional additional inventional inventional additional additional inventional additional inventional inventional additional additional inventional inventional inventional inventional additional additional inventional inventional additional inventional additional additional inventional inventional inventional
Andrew G. Richard E. Ting Andreas Jie Pavel Hongjie Kenneth A. Daniel T. Jason H.
Rinzler Smalley Guo Thess Liu Nikolaev Dai Smith Colbert Hafner