Fish & Richardson P.C.
Sidewall derivatized carbon nanotubes
This invention is directed to chemical derivatives of carbon nanotubes wherein the carbon nanotubes have a diameter up to 3 nm. In one embodiment, this invention also provides a method for preparing carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube by reacting single-wall carbon nanotubes with fluorine gas and recovering fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes, then reacting fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes with a nucleophile. Some of the fluorine substituents are replaced by nucleophilic substitution. If desired, the remaining fluorine can be completely or partially eliminated to produce carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube. The substituents are dependent on the nucleophile, and preferred nucleophiles include alkyl lithium species such as methyl lithium.
William Marsh Rice University
Y Y B Y C Y B B C B C B Y B B D
Y10S Y10S B82Y Y10S C01B Y10S B01J B01J C01B B82Y C01B B01J Y10S B01J B01J D01F
additional additional inventional additional inventional additional inventional inventional additional inventional additional additional additional additional inventional inventional
Richard E. Chad Daniel T. Ken Jie Robert Edward T. Peter John L.
Smalley Huffman Colbert Smith Liu Hauge Mickelson Boul Margrave