# US 2017/0283262 A1 · Interwoven carbon nanotube mats > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0283262 A1 - Document ID: US20170283262A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/086,458 - Filed: 2016-03-31 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-31 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Keith Daniel Humfeld - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170283262A1 ## CPC - C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} - C01B 32/16: Preparation - C23C 16/26: Deposition of carbon only - C23C 16/4418: {Methods for making free-standing articles (C23C16/01 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/46: characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence) - C23C 16/482: {using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps} - B82Y 30/00: Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites - B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures - Y10S 977/742: Carbon nanotubes, CNTs - Y10S 977/843: Gas phase catalytic growth, i.e. chemical vapor deposition - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract Systems and methods are provided for interweaving carbon nanotubes. One embodiment comprises a layer of carbon nanotubes. The layer includes carbon nanotubes oriented in a first direction, as well as carbon nanotubes oriented in a second direction that crosses the first direction. The carbon nanotubes oriented in the second direction are interwoven through the carbon nanotubes oriented in the first direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: selectively growing carbon nanotubes via a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process, comprising: aligning an electrical field in a first direction for a first set of carbon nanotubes; heating the first set of carbon nanotubes above a threshold temperature to trigger parallel growth of the first set of carbon nanotubes in the first direction via CVD; and repeatedly varying the first direction by adjusting the electrical field, causing the first set of carbon nanotubes to interweave into a second set of carbon nanotubes as growth continues. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: aligning the electrical field in a second direction for the second set of carbon nanotubes; heating the second set of carbon nanotubes above the threshold temperature to trigger parallel growth of the second set of carbon nanotubes in the second direction via CVD; and repeatedly varying the second direction by adjusting the electrical field, causing the second set of carbon nanotubes to interweave into the first set of carbon nanotubes as growth continues. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: heating the first set of carbon nanotubes by increasing the temperature of heaters proximate to the first set of carbon nanotubes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: heating the first set of carbon nanotubes by: identifying a photoluminescence frequency of light for the first set of carbon nanotubes; identifying an excitation frequency of light for the first set of carbon nanotubes; and applying light at both the excitation frequency and the photoluminescence frequency to the first set of carbon nanotubes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: the first set of carbon nanotubes and the second set of carbon nanotubes are coplanar. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: repeatedly varying the first direction comprises iteratively adjusting the electrical field back and forth through a repeating range of alignments, causing the first set of carbon nanotubes to form a sinusoid during growth. ### Claim 7 A system for fabricating a sheet of interwoven carbon nanotubes, the system comprising: carbon nanotube catalysts that grow different sets of nanotubes; a heating system configured to heat the nanotubes; an electric field generator; and a controller configured to operate the heating system to selectively heat individual sets in order to trigger carbon nanotube growth during Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), and to operate the electric field generator to generate an electrical field that points in a direction that varies during the growth of a set of carbon nanotubes, causing carbon nanotubes of the set to interweave other carbon nanotubes as growth continues. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein: the heating system comprises a lighting system; each set comprises a different chirality of nanotube; and the controller is configured to operate the lighting system to selectively heat an individual chirality by: identifying a photoluminescence frequency of light for the chirality; identifying an excitation frequency of light for the chirality; and generating light at both the excitation frequency and the photoluminescence frequency. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein: the controller is configured to operate the lighting system by generating multiple frequencies of light at the same time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein: the catalysts are floating catalysts. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein: the catalysts are fixed to a substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein: the heating system comprises heaters integrated into substrates upon which the catalysts are arranged. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 wherein: the controller is configured operate alternating heaters to cause alternating sets of carbon nanotubes to grow at once. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 wherein: the heaters for each set are electrically coupled with each other. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein: the controller is configured to operate the electric field generator to cause the set of carbon nanotubes to grow into a sinusoid. ### Claim 16 A material comprising: a layer of carbon nanotubes, comprising: carbon nanotubes oriented in a first direction; and carbon nanotubes oriented in a second direction that crosses the first direction, and that are interwoven through the carbon nanotubes oriented in the first direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The material of claim 16 wherein: the carbon nanotubes oriented in the second direction comprise: carbon nanotubes that each form a first sinusoid; and carbon nanotubes that each form a second sinusoid that is out of phase from the first sinusoid. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The material of claim 17 wherein: the carbon nanotubes oriented in the first direction comprise a first chirality; the carbon nanotubes forming the first sinusoid comprise a second chirality; the carbon nanotubes forming the second sinusoid comprise a third chirality. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The material of claim 17 wherein: each carbon nanotube forming the first sinusoid is adjacent to a carbon nanotube forming the second sinusoid. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The material of claim 16 wherein: the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The material of claim 16 wherein: the carbon nanotubes oriented in the first direction form a plain weave with the carbon nanotubes oriented in the second direction. ### Claim 22 A material comprising: a first set of carbon nanotubes that comprise a first chirality and that are oriented in parallel; a second set of carbon nanotubes that comprise a second chirality and that form a first sinusoid intersecting the first set; and a third set of carbon nanotubes that comprise a third chirality and that forma second sinusoid intersecting the first set, the second sinusoid is shifted in phase from the first sinusoid. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The material of claim 22 wherein: the first sinusoid and the second sinusoid continue in the same direction. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The material of claim 22 wherein: the first sinusoid and the second sinusoid have the same amplitude. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The material of claim 23 wherein: the second set of carbon nanotubes is interspersed with the third set of carbon nanotubes.