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US 7,854,914 B2Granted
Soluble carbon nanotubes
AssigneeSony Deutschland GmbH
InventorsWilliam E. Ford, Jurina Wessels, Akio Yasuda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of solubilizing carbon nanotubes, to carbon nanotubes produced thereby and to uses of said carbon nanotubes.
Claims9
A non-bundled carbon nanotube produced by a process comprising:
- a) providing, in any order:
- bundled carbon nanotubes, and urea as a precursor of isocyanic acid and/or cyanate ion, said isocyanic acid and/or cyanate ion being capable of undergoing a polymerization reaction;
- b) mixing together the bundled carbon nanotubes with urea to produce a mixture, wherein said mixing further comprises:
- heating the mixture, or alternatively,
- acidifying the mixture, or
- both heating and acidifying the mixture,
- wherein the heating and/or acidifying induces urea to form isocyanic acid and/or cyanate ion, and
- wherein at least one aldehyde is added to the mixture during the heating and/or acidification;
- and
- c) initiating a polymerization reaction of the isocyanic acid and/or cyanate ion to produce non-bundled carbon nanotubes, wherein the at least one aldehyde is added to the mixture before, and optionally during or after, initiating the polymerization reaction, wherein the non-bundled carbon nanotubes have functional groups comprising aldehyde groups on their surface and/or ends, wherein said polymerization reaction occurs at said functional groups, and
- wherein the non-bundled carbon nanotubes have a solubility in water or aqueous solution of up to approximately 10 g/L, and a solubility in methanol or methanolic solution of up to approximately 1 g/L.
8 more elements
A non-bundled carbon nanotube or an association of non-bundled carbon nanotubes produced by a process comprising:
- a) providing, in any order:
- bundled carbon nanotubes, and urea;
- b) mixing together the bundled carbon nanotubes with urea to produce a mixture, wherein at least one aldehyde is added to the mixture;
- c) heating the mixture for approximately 1-60 min to produce the non-bundled carbon nanotube or association of non-bundled carbon nanotubes having functional groups comprising aldehyde groups on their surface and/or ends, wherein the at least one aldehyde is added to the mixture before, and optionally during or after, initiating the heating,
- wherein the non-bundled carbon nanotube or association of non-bundled carbon nanotubes is dissolved in an aqueous or alcoholic solution, or a mixture thereof, and subjected to one or more of the following:
- salt precipitation optionally followed by washing;
- centrifugation or filtration optionally followed by washing;
- size separation;
- adsorption;
- enzymatic degradation;
- selective burning;
- plasma treatment;
- and evaporation, and
- wherein the non-bundled carbon nanotube or association of non-bundled carbon nanotubes have a solubility in water or aqueous solution of up to approximately 10 g/L, and a solubility in methanol or methanolic solution of up to approximately 1 g/L.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.