Methods of and systems for forming carbon based materials

Abstract

In general, a system and method of the present invention include a seed material (for receiving deposited carbon atoms) is provided with an active edge, for instance, at a growth line. A form of carbon is provided from a suitable source, and it is deposited upon the edge generally in a deposition region. The growth line is a position where the portion of the seed attracts the materials for growth. The source is activated to produce carbon (C, C2, other C forms) in a form that has a sufficiently low activity so that it will bond to the active edge (as opposed to oxidizing into other molecules such as carbon oxides). As the carbon material is deposited (i.e., atomically bonded) to the edge, the seed material may be pulled at a desired rate, i.e., to “grow” carbon material in the form of a sheet, ribbon, roll, tube, or many other desirable forms as described further herein.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.