The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 08, 2005
Filed:
Apr. 30, 2004
Matteo Pasquali, Houston, TX (US);
Virginia A. Davis, Webster, TX (US);
Ingrid Stepanek-basset, La Grand'Combe, FR;
A. Nicholas G. Parra-vasquez, Oxnard, CA (US);
Robert H. Hauge, Houston, TX (US);
Matteo Pasquali, Houston, TX (US);
Virginia A. Davis, Webster, TX (US);
Ingrid Stepanek-Basset, La Grand'Combe, FR;
A. Nicholas G. Parra-Vasquez, Oxnard, CA (US);
Robert H. Hauge, Houston, TX (US);
William Marsh Rice University, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
The present invention is directed to at least one method and at least one apparatus for determining the length of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The method generally comprises the steps of: dispersing a sample of SWNTs into a suitable dispersing medium to form a solvent-suspension of solvent-suspended SWNTs; determining the mean SWNT diameter of the solvent-suspended SWNTs; introducing the solvent-suspended SWNTs into a viscosity-measuring device; obtaining a specific viscosity for the SWNT solvent-suspension; and determining the length of the SWNTs based upon the specific viscosity by solving, for example, the Kirkwood-Auer equation corrected by Batchelor's formula for the drag on a slender cylinder for 'L,' to determine the length of the SWNTs. The apparatus generally comprises: a SWNT sample introduction mechanism; a dispersal chamber; a SWNT radius-determination chamber; and a viscosity determining chamber, wherein the SWNT sample introduction mechanism, the dispersal chamber, the SWNT radius-determination chamber, and the viscosity determination chamber are each operatively connected to at least one of the others.