Single-walled Metal Oxide and Metal Sulphide Nanotubes/Polymer Composites
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorsSankar Nair, Dun-Yen Kang, Christopher W. Jones
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a nanocomposite material having single-walled aluminosilicate nanotube in polymer, a membrane comprising such nanocomposite material, and the method of making the nanocomposite material, in which the composite material has high volume fraction of well-dispersed nanotubes. A gel-phased single-walled aluminosilicate nanotube is first prepared and then mixed with a polymer matrix to yield the composite material.
Claims20
A method of making a well dispersed metal oxide or metal sulphide single-walled nanotube (SWNT)/polymer composite material, comprising:
- a) preparing a gel-phase metal oxide or metal sulphide SWNT;
- b) mixing said gel-phase metal oxide or metal sulphide SWNT with a polymer;
- and
- c) obtaining a SWNT/polymer composite with at least 30% volume fraction of the metal oxide or metal suphide SWNT.
A metal oxide SWNT/polymer composite material having 30-38% volume fraction of SWNT, wherein the SWNT is well dispersed throughout the polymer.
A membrane comprising a metal oxide SWNT/polymer composite material having as much as 38% volume fraction of SWNT that is well dispersed in the polymer, wherein the membrane has a water/ethanol selectivity of at least 35 at 60° C.
A method of making a well dispersed aluminosilicate single-walled nanotube (SWNT)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite material, comprising:
- a) preparing a gel-phase aluminosilicate SWNT;
- b) mixing said gel-phase aluminosilicate SWNT with an aqueous solution of PVA;
- and
- c) obtaining a aluminosilicate SWNT/PVA composite;
- wherein the aluminosilicate SWNT/PVA composite has at least 30% volume fraction of said aluminosilicate SWNT.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.