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US 7,407,640 B2Granted
Functionalized carbon nanotube-polymer composites and interactions with radiation
AssigneeWilliam Marsh Rice University
InventorsEnrique V. Barrera, Richard Wilkins, Meisha Shofner, Merlyn X. Pulikkathara, Ranjii Vaidyanathan
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Abstract
The present invention involves the interaction of radiation with functionalized carbon nanotubes that have been incorporated into various host materials, particularly polymeric ones. The present invention is directed to chemistries, methods, and apparatuses which exploit this type of radiation interaction, and to the materials which result from such interactions. The present invention is also directed toward the time dependent behavior of functionalized carbon nanotubes in such composite systems.
Claims9
A method comprising the steps of:
- a) dispersing functionalized carbon nanotubes in a solvent to form a dispersion of functionalized carbon nanotubes;
- b) incorporating the dispersion of functionalized carbon nanotubes into a polymer host matrix to form a functionalized carbon nanotube-polymer composite;
- and
- c) modifying the functionalized carbon nanotube-polymer composite with radiation, wherein the modifying comprises defunctionalizing of the functionalized carbon nanotubes and wherein the radiation is selected from the group consisting of protons, neutrons, alpha particles, heavy ions, cosmic radiation, solar wind, and combinations thereof.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.