William Marsh Rice University

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Yuri Mackeyev

Lon J Wilson

Jaehong Kim

Jaesang Lee

Pedro J J Alvarez

In various embodiments, the present disclosure describes fullerene derivatives that are capable of photocatalytically generating reactive oxygen species in the presence of ultraviolet and/or visible light. In some embodiments, the fullerene derivatives are aminofullerenes containing a plurality of amine-terminated moieties covalently bonded to the fullerene cage. The fullerene derivatives may optionally be covalently bonded to a substrate surface for use in photocatalytic disinfection systems for removing various contaminants including, for example, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and chemical pollutants. Methods using the present fullerene and aminofullerene derivatives in various purification processes are also described herein.

Fullerene compositions and methods for photochemical purification

A method of removing metal impurities from carbon nanotubes includes treating carbon nanotubes with distilled bromine in a substantially oxygen- and water-free atmosphere and then removing the distilled bromine from the carbon nanotubes. Purified carbon nanotubes having an iron content from about 2.5 to about 3.5 by weight that are substantially free of derivatization at the ends and defect sites are made available via this method.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Yuri Mackeyev