Described herein are processes and apparatus for the large-scale synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) by induction-coupled plasma (ICP). A boron-containing feedstock may be heated by ICP in the presence of nitrogen gas at an elevated pressure, to form vaporized boron. The vaporized boron may be cooled to form boron droplets, such as nanodroplets. Cooling may take place using a condenser, for example. BNNTs may then form downstream and can be harvested.

One or more techniques are disclosed for a method for functionalized a graphitic material comprising the steps of: 1) providing a graphitic material; 2) providing a first molecule comprising a first group, a spacer, and a second group; 3) providing a second molecule comprising a third group, a spacer, and a fourth group, wherein the third group is a different group from the first group; and 4) bonding the first molecule and the second molecule to the graphitic material. Also disclosed is a tunable material composition comprising the functionalized carbon nanotubes or functionalized graphene prepared by the methods described herein.

A method for preparing a preblend of nanostructured carbon, such as nanotubes, fullerenes, or graphene, and a particulate solid, such as polymer beads, carbon black, graphitic particles or glassy carbon involving wet-mixing and followed by optional drying to remove the liquid medium. The preblend may be in the form of a core-shell powder material with the nanostructured carbon as the shell on the particulate solid core. The preblend may provide particularly improved dispersion of single-walled nanotubes in ethylene--olefin elastomer compositions, resulting in improved reinforcement from the nanotubes. The improved elastomer compositions may show simultaneous improvement in both modulus and in elongation at break. The elastomer compositions may be formed into useful rubber articles.

Methods of preparing dispersions of carbon-based materials are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method comprises exposing the carbon-based material to an atmosphere comprising between about 0.5% v/v and about 5.0% v/v of oxygen for a selected time at an oxidation temperature to obtain a thermally oxidized material; and dispersing the thermally oxidized material in a liquid medium.

The present invention belongs to the field of new materials technology and discloses a green method for preparing functionalized carbon materials. The present invention can use potassium ferrate(VI) as an oxidant and mechanical milling as a reaction technique for oxidizing carbon materials in a preparation of functionalized carbon materials having oxygen-containing functional groups. Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a method that combines an environmentally friendly oxidant with an environmentally friendly reaction process. The oxidant potassium ferrate(VI) is a green oxidant without producing any toxic byproducts. The reaction process is solvent-free, facilitated by milling the solid mixture of carbon materials and the oxidant. Thus, the present invention provides an environmentally friendly method for preparing oxidatively functionalized carbon materials, which is of promotion value.

Provided herein are methods off functionalizing a carbon nanotube, functionalized carbon nanotubes, methods of forming a suspension, and methods of forming a sensor. The methods may include contacting one or more carbon nanotubes with a dienophile in the presence of a supercritical fluid to form one or more functionalized carbon nanotubes. The one or more functionalized carbon nanotubes may have a degree of functionalization of about 1% to about 5%.

The present invention is directed to compositions comprising at least one layer or at least two layers, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, having first and second surfaces, each crystal cell having the empirical formula of M.sub.n+1X.sub.n, where M, X, and n are described in the specification, and devices incorporating these compositions.

Polypropylene-coated functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (PP/f-MWNT) comprising functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (f-MWNT) in an amount of from about 0.5 wt. % to about 80 wt. %, based on the total weight of the PP/f-MWNT; and polypropylene (PP) in an amount of from about 20 wt. % to about 99.5 wt. %, based on the total weight of the PP/f-MWNT. A method of making PP/f-MWNT comprising (a) contacting pristine multiwall carbon nanotubes (p-MWNT) with nitric acid to produce f-MWNT; (b) contacting at least a portion of the f-MWNT with a first solvent to form a f-MWNT dispersion; (c) contacting PP with a second solvent to form a PP solution; (d) contacting at least a portion of the f-MWNT dispersion with at least a portion of the PP solution to form a PP and f-MWNT suspension; and (e) drying at least a portion of the PP and f-MWNT suspension to form the PP/f-MWNT.

A method of making a HIPP composite comprising blending polypropylene-coated functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (PP/f-MWNT) with a first PP to produce a PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture, wherein PP/f-MWNT comprise f-MWNT coated with a second PP via non-covalent interactions, wherein PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture comprises 0.0005 to 5 wt. % f-MWNT, based on the weight of PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture, wherein the first PP and the second PP are the same or different; melt blending the PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture to form a molten PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture; and shaping the molten PP and PP/f-MWNT mixture to form the HIPP composite. A HIPP composite comprising a continuous polymeric phase having dispersed therein a plurality of PP/f-MWNT, wherein the continuous polymeric phase comprises a first PP, wherein PP/f-MWNT comprise f-MWNT coated with a second PP via non-covalent interactions, wherein HIPP composite comprises 0.0005 to 5 wt. % f-MWNT, based on the weight of HIPP.

An electromagnetic wave absorption material comprises surface-treated fibrous carbon nanostructures obtainable by treating surfaces of fibrous carbon nanostructures, wherein at surfaces of the surface-treated fibrous carbon nanostructures, an amount of an oxygen element is 0.030 times or more and 0.300 times or less an amount of a carbon element and/or an amount of a nitrogen element is 0.005 times or more and 0.200 times or less the amount of the carbon element.