William Marsh Rice University

Other

Edward T Mickelson

Peter James Boul

Richard E Smalley

Robert H Hauge

Chad Huffman

Daniel T Colbert

Jie Liu

Ken A Smith

John L Margrave

Mary Lou Margrave, Legal Representative

Boris I Yakobson

Pavel V Avramov

This invention is directed to chemical derivatives of carbon nanotubes wherein the carbon nanotubes have a diameter up to 3 nm. In one embodiment, this invention also provides a method for preparing carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube by reacting single-wall carbon nanotubes with fluorine gas and recovering fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes, then reacting fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes with a nucleophile. Some of the fluorine substituents are replaced by nucleophilic substitution. If desired, the remaining fluorine can be completely or partially eliminated to produce carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube. The substituents are dependent on the nucleophile, and preferred nucleophiles include alkyl lithium species such as methyl lithium.

Sidewall derivatized carbon nanotubes

This invention is directed to making chemical derivatives of carbon nanotubes and to uses for the derivatized nanotubes, including making arrays as a basis for synthesis of carbon fibers. In one embodiment, this invention also provides a method for preparing single wall carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube by reacting single wall carbon nanotubes with fluorine gas and recovering fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes, then reacting fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes with a nucleophile. Some of the fluorine substituents are replaced by nucleophilic substitution. If desired, the remaining fluorine can be completely or partially eliminated to produce single wall carbon nanotubes having substituents attached to the side wall of the nanotube. The substituents will, of course, be dependent on the nucleophile, and preferred nucleophiles include alkyl lithium species such as methyl lithium. Alternatively, fluorine may be fully or partially removed from fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes by reacting the fluorine derivatized carbon nanotubes with various amounts of hydrazine, substituted hydrazine or alkyl amine. The present invention also provides seed materials for growth of single wall carbon nanotubes comprising a plurality of single wall carbon nanotubes or short tubular molecules having a catalyst precursor moiety covalently bound or physisorbed on the outer surface of the sidewall to provide the optimum metal cluster size under conditions that result in migration of the metal moiety to the tube end.

Functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes

This invention is directed to the fluorination (or derivatization with alternative chemical species) of fullerene carbon nanocages as an efficient way to (a) facilitate synthesis of endohedral complexes by a significant reduction or elimination of the barriers for the entry of guest-ions, -atoms or molecules, and (b) to preserve the chemical stability of final product.

High-yield method of endohedrally encapsulating species inside fluorinated fullerene nanocages

Chemically modifying single wall carbon nanotubes to facilitate dispersal in solvents

Methods of chemically derivatizing single-wall carbon nanotubes

Chemical derivatization of single-wall carbon nanotubes to facilitate solvation thereof, and use of derivatized nanotubes

Dispersions and solutions of fluorinated single-wall carbon nanotubes

Chemical derivatization of single-wall carbon nanotubes to facilitate solvation thereof; and use of derivatized nanotubes to form catalyst-containing seed materials for use in making carbon fibers

Growing community of inventors

Pearland, TX, United States of America

Edward T Mickelson