Method for fractionating single-wall carbon nanotubes

• US 7,357,906 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rice University
• Original Assignee: Rice University
• Inventors: Hafner, Jason H., Smalley, Richard E., Liu, Jie, Rinzler, Andrew G., Nikolaev, Pavel, Colbert, Daniel T., Thess, Andreas, Smith, Kenneth A., Guo, Ting, Dai, Hongjie
• Primary Examiner(s): HENDRICKSON, STUART L
• Application Number:
  US11/020,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050244326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 423/461, 423/447.1, 977/845, 210/758, 204/450
• US Class Current: 423/447.1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/02 Single-walled nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/06 Multi-walled nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/08 Aligned nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/24 Thermal properties
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/34 Length
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/154 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/162 characterised by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/174 Derivatisation; Solubilisation; Dispersion in solvents
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 70/12 Nanotube tips
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 70/16 Probe manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/007 with reproducing by means directly associated with the tip of a microscopic electrical probe as defined in G11B9/14 details of heads G11B9/1409; disposition or mounting of heads G11B9/1418
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 9/1409 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/025 using fullerenes, e.g. C60, or nanotubes, e.g. carbon or silicon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/81 Array wherein the array conductors, e.g. word lines, bit lines, are made of nanowires
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2201/30469 Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/70 : Nanostructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/75 : Single-walled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/789 : in array format
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/843 : Gas phase catalytic growth, i.e. chemical vapor deposition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/845 : Purification or separation of fullerenes or nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249977 : Specified thickness of void-containing component [absolute or relative], numerical cell dimension or density
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2918 : including free carbon or carbide or therewith [not as steel]

Abstract

The invention relates generally to dispersing and fractionating single-wall carbon nanotubes, which can be derivatized to facilitate fractionation, for example, by adding solubilizing moieties to the nanotubes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) providing a mixture of single-wall carbon nanotubes;

b) derivatizing the single-wall carbon nanotubes;

c) dispersing the single-wall carbon nanotubes; and

d) fractionating the mixture by a characteristic selected from the group consisting of lengths, diameters, helicities and combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the derivatizing of the single-wall carbon nanotubes facilitates the fractionating of the mixture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fractionating is done by a fractionation technique selected from the group consisting of electrophoresis, DNA fractionation procedures, polymer fractionation procedures and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fractionating of single-wall carbon nanotubes is facilitated by a cutting mechanism having a rate that is dependent on the helicity of the single-wall carbon nanotubes.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the electrophoresis technique fractionates different structure types of single-wall carbon nanotubes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the electrophoresis technique fractionates the different structure types of single-wall carbon nanotubes having different polarization properties.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electrophoresis technique fractionates the different structure types of single-wall carbon nanotubes having different electrical properties.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the electrophoresis technique fractionates the different structure types of single-wall carbon nanotubes having different electrical properties.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the derivatizing is with a moiety operable to preferentially bond to one type of single-wall carbon nanotube structure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the derivatizing of the single-wall carbon nanotubes facilitates the dispersing of the single-wall carbon nanotubes.