Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Mark S. F. Clarke ·
Assignee(s)	Battelle Memorial Institute ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Law Offices of John Gibson Semmes ·
Primary Examiner	Stuart L. Hendrickson ·
Assistant Examiner	Peter J Lish ·
Application Number	US9983830
Filing date	10/26/2001
Issue date	05/24/2005
Prior Publication Data	US20030012723 - 01/16/2003
Predicted expiration date	10/26/2021
U.S. Classifications	423/447.1  · 428/367  · 423/445.R  · 423/447.2  ·
International Classifications	--
Kind Code	B2
International Classifications	4234471 · 4234472 · 423445 R · 423461 · 428367 ·
Related U.S. Application Data	CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/303,815, entitled “Spatial Localization of Dispersed Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes Into Useful Structures” and filed Jul. 10, 2001. The disclosure of the above-mentioned application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Patent Family

Abstract

Methods of aligning single walled carbon nanotube structures into selected orientations for a variety of different applications are achieved by initially dispersing the nanotube structures in aqueous solutions utilizing a suitable dispersal agent. The dispersal agent coats each individual nanotube structure in solution. The dispersal agent may be substituted with a suitable functional group that reacts with a corresponding binding site. Dispersed nanotube structures coated with substituted dispersal agents are exposed to a selected array of binding sites such that the nanotubes align with the binding sites due to the binding of the substituted functional groups with such binding sites. Alternatively, crystalline nanotube material is formed upon deposition of dispersed nanotube structures within solution into channels disposed on the surface of the substrate. Combining dispersal agent chemical modification techniques with deposition of the nanotubes into substrate channels is also utilized to produce useful structures.

Independent Claims | See all claims (44)

1. 1. A method of spatially aligning a single walled carbon nanotube in a selected orientation comprising: adhering a dispersal agent to the nanotube, the dispersal agent being selected from the group consisting of octyl-phenoxypolyethoxyethanol, deoxycholates, taurocholic acid, cyclodextrins, chaotropic salts, polyoxyethylene sorbitol esters, poloxamers, sapogenin glycosides, and combinations thereof; securing a reactive group to the dispersal agent adhered to the nanotube; and binding the reactive group to a reactive site secured to a structure to connect the nanotube with the structure.
2. 12. A method of modifying single walled carbon nanotubes comprising: adhering a dispersal agent to a single walled carbon nanotube, wherein the dispersal agent is effective in dispersing the nanotube from other nanotubes in an aqueous solution and is selected from the group consisting of octyl-phenoxypolyethoxyethanol, deoxycholates, taurocholic acid, cyclodextrins, chaotropic salts, polyoxyethylene sorbitol esters, poloxamers, sapogenin glycosides, and combinations thereof; and securing to the dispersal agent a chemical compound comprising a reactive group, wherein the reactive group is capable of binding with a reactive site secured to a structure upon exposure of the reactive group to the reactive site.
3. 20. A method of forming a structure of spatially oriented single walled carbon nanotubes comprising: coating the nanotubes with dispersal agent molecules to disperse the nanotubes from each other in an aqueous solution, the dispersal agent molecules being selected from the group consisting of octyl-phenoxypolyethoxyethanol, deoxycholates, taurocholic acid, cyclodextrins, chaotropic salts, polyoxyethylene sorbitol esters, poloxamers, sapogenin glycosides, and combinations thereof; securing reactive groups to the dispersal agent molecules; and securing the nanotubes coated with dispersal agent molecules including reactive groups secured thereto to spatially oriented reactive sites secured to at least one structure via a binding reaction between the reactive sites and the reactive groups.
4. 33. A method of forming a structure of selectively oriented single walled carbon nanotubes, comprising: forming at least one channel on a substrate; and depositing single walled carbon nanotubes into the at least one channel to form aligned nanotube material along the at least one channel; wherein the nanotubes are coated with dispersal agent molecules to disperse the nanotubes in an aqueous solution, and the dispersal agent molecules are selected from the group consisting of octyl-phenoxypolyethoxyethanol, deoxycholates, taurocholic acid, cyclodextrins, chaotropic salts, polyoxyethylene sorbitol esters, poloxamers, sapogenin glycosides, and combinations thereof.