The present invention proposes a process for purifying raw carbon nanotubes to obtain an content in metallic impurities comprised between 5 ppm and 200 ppm. The process includes an increase in the bulk density of the raw carbon nanotubes via compacting to produce compacted carbon nanotubes. The process further includes sintering the compacted carbon nanotubes by undergoing thermal treatment under gaseous atmosphere in order to remove at least a portion of the metallic impurities contained in the raw carbon nanotubes, and consequently producing purified carbon nanotubes. These purified carbon nanotubes are directly usable as electronic conductors serving as basis additive to an electrode material without requiring any subsequent purification step. The electrode material can then be used to manufacture an electrode destined to a lithium-ion battery.

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and apparatus for producing a carbon nanomaterial product (CNM) product that may comprise carbon nanotubes and various other allotropes of nanocarbon. The method and apparatus employ a consumable carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and a renewable carbonate electrolyte as reactants in an electrolysis reaction in order to make CNTs. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, operational conditions of the electrolysis reaction may be varied in order to produce the CNM product with a greater incidence of a desired allotrope of nanocarbon or a desired combination of two or more allotropes.

A sensing portion of the tension type smart shoe unit is arranged to extend across the width of thea sole of a wearer so that foot pressure applied through the sole is exerted thereon, and a connection portion of the tension type smart shoe unit is fixed by connection to a connecting portion of a circuit block. Thus, even when the foot pressure exerted is biased to the left or right while the wearer is walking, only a portion where the pressure is biased is not sensed in contrast with a conventional case in which piezoelectric sensors are mounted, but the sensing portion is deformed, and the magnitude of an electrical output signal corresponding to the deformation is calculated using an equation of a relationship with a load. Consequently, the amount of foot pressure may be precisely measured even with a simple configuration.

A method encapsulates nanoscale material by producing a suspension of the nanostructure material in a first solvent using a micelle surrounding the nanostructure material. The micelle surrounding the suspended nanostructure material is swollen by adding to and mixing with the suspension an immiscible phase second solvent containing a precursor. The precursor is then reduced by adding a reducing reactant selectively soluble in the first solvent that reacts to the precursor containing reactant selectively solvated in the second solvent to encapsulate the nanostructure material. A metal-nanostructure composite can be provided by collecting and mixing the metal-shell encapsulated nanostructure product produced by the aforementioned method into a metal matrix.

The present disclosure describes several embodiments for methods of deagglomerating, debundling, and dispersing carbon nanotubes and functionalizing such carbon nanotubes without damage to the properties of the carbon nanotubes. The embodiments include methods for determining optimized conditions to effectively produce master batches of carbon nanotube polymers and solvent systems; determining what moieties or chemistries effectively disperse carbon nanotubes without deleterious effect upon electrical properties of a resulting composite; determining the most efficient processes for introducing dispersants to carbon nanotubes; determining surface characteristics of carbon nanotubes induced by deagglomerating, debundling, and dispersion processes; evaluating properties (such as conductivity) of carbon nanotube dispersions in cured coatings and composite applications; determining what structural elements comprise efficient/effective dispersants for carbon nanotubes; and evaluating the hyperdispersant properties in carbon nanotube composite and coatings systems.

The present invention relates to entangled-type carbon nanotubes which have a bulk density of 31 kg/m.sup.3 to 85 kg/m.sup.3 and a ratio of tapped bulk density to bulk density of 1.37 to 2.05, and a method for preparing the entangled-type carbon nanotubes.

The invention pertains to the use of porous, chemically interconnected, isotropic carbon-nanofibre-comprising carbon networks for electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI). The invention also relates to a A composite assembly comprising a thermoplastic, elastomeric and/or thermoset polymer matrix and at least 15 wt%, preferably at least 20 wt%, more preferably 20 - 80 wt% of porous, chemically interconnected, crystalline carbon-nanofibres comprising carbon networks based on the total assembly weight.

The invention discloses a carbon-based composite material and its preparation method and application, which belongs to the technical field of carbon material preparation. The carbon-based composite material comprises the substrate, carbon film and structural carbon which are integrated into one body. The electron, ion and atom transmission and chemical structure characteristics of the carbon-based composite materials are modified by the carbon film and structural carbon containing alkali and/or alkali earth elements resulting in the carbon-based composite materials having excellent physical and chemical properties, which can be used for various applications including battery electrodes, capacitor electrodes, various sensors, solar cell electrodes, electrolytic water hydrogen production electrodes, hydrogen storage materials, catalysts and catalyst carriers, composite materials, reinforcing materials.

A nanocarbon separation device includes a separation tank which is configured to accommodate a dispersion liquid including a nanocarbon, a first electrode that is provided at an upper part in the separation tank, a second electrode that is provided at a lower part in the separation tank, and a plurality of electrode tubes that extend in the separation tank in a height direction of the separation tank. The second electrode is disposed at a lower end of the electrode tubes.

A method for carbon nanotube purification, preferably including: providing carbon nanotubes; depositing a mask; and/or selectively removing a portion of the mask; and optionally including removing a subset of the carbon nanotubes and/or removing the remaining mask.