Technology Overview
The technology is a structure that can be used to produce nanostructures such as single wall (SWNT) and multi-wall (MWNT) carbon nanotubes. The structure is a process reaction chamber, sometimes referred to as a process oven, with an improved heating design.
Current designs use the outer wall of the chamber as the heat source. The materials to be heated are placed upon a tray mounted within the process chamber, and the outer wall of the chamber is then heated. This techlaunch instead generates heat by using a susceptor for the tray mounted within the chamber. An induction coil is wrapped around the outside of the chamber. When the coil is energized it induces a current in the susceptor, heating it and the materials place upon it. This provides a much more uniform heat profile across the tray, as well as using less energy to produce a given temperature on the tray.
Benefits
- Higher quality – nano material structure more uniform and closer to the ideal structure desired
- Higher purity – less contamination from precursors or catalytic materials
- Reduced energy consumption – energy consumption reduced by a factor of 2-3
Applications
The technology is designed primarily for the fabrication of nanotubes and nanowires. Application areas for nano tubes and wires include:
- High strength materials – industries using such materials include aerospace, industrial, transportation, and energy
- Biomedical – drug delivery
- Sensors – chemical and biological sensors
- Electronics – solar cells, thermocells, transistors, ultracapacitors
Keywords: manufacture of carbon nano, nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanowire, SWNT, MWNT, process reactor
Inventors: Alexandru Radu Biris, Dan Lupu, Alexandru S.Biris, Jon G. Wilkes, Dan A. Buzatu, Dwight Miller, Jerry A. Darsey
