Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of making a carbon nanotube hybrid material by depositing a catalyst solution onto a carbon-based material, and growing carbon nanotubes on the carbon-based material such that the grown carbon nanotubes become covalently linked to the carbon-based material through carbon-carbon bonds. The catalyst solution includes a metal component (e.g., iron) and a buffer component (e.g., aluminum) that may be in the form of particles. The metal component of the particle may be in the form of a metallic core or metallic oxide core while the buffer component may be on a surface of the metal component in the form of metal or metal oxides. Further embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to the catalytic particles and carbon nanotube hybrid materials. The carbon nanotube hybrid materials of the present disclosure may be incorporated as electrodes (e.g., anodes or cathodes) in energy storage devices.

Disclosed are methods for decapping single wall carbon nanotubes and purifying the decapped single wall carbon nanotubes. The disclosed methods include the steps of oxidizing the single wall carbon nanotubes to remove the terminal end cap and subsequently acid washing the single wall carbon nanotubes to remove the catalyst particles. The resulting carbon nanotubes have improved BET surface area and pore volume.

A carbon nanotube dispersion liquid for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is a carbon nanotube dispersion liquid containing carbon nanotubes, a dispersant and a solvent, and is characterized in satisfying (1) to (3) below: (1) the average outer diameter of the carbon nanotubes ranging from more than 3 nm to 25 nm; (2) the BET surface area of the carbon nanotubes ranging from 150 m.sup.2/g to 800 m.sup.2/g; and (3) the fiber length of the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube dispersion liquid ranging from 0.8 m to 3.5 m.

A conductive material dispersion includes a carbon-based conductive material, a main dispersant, an auxiliary dispersant, and a dispersion medium, wherein the main dispersant is a nitrile-based copolymer and the auxiliary dispersant is a copolymer including an oxyalkylene unit and at least one selected from the group consisting of a styrene unit and an alkylene unit.

A composition comprising at least 50 weight % of a first particulate electroactive material and 3-15 weight % of a carbon additives mixture comprising elongate carbon nanostructures and carbon black, wherein: the elongate carbon nanostructures comprise at least a first elongate carbon nanostructure material and a different second elongate carbon nanostructure material; and the elongate carbon nanostructures: carbon black weight ratio is in the range 3:1 to 20:1.

A production method for growing a carbon nanotube assembly on a substrate having a catalyst on a surface thereof. In this production method, in each of a formation unit that carries out a formation step of reducing a catalyst on the substrate and a growth unit that carries out a growth step of growing a carbon nanotube assembly, the substrate is continuously being conveyed using conveyance units that convey the substrate by screw rotations. In carrying out the formation step and the growth step, these steps are carried out while the gas environments in these steps are prevented from mixing with each other.

Provided is an oxidized carbon nanotube assembly having excellent dispersibility in a polar solvent. The oxidized carbon nanotube assembly includes oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes, has a ratio of the number of oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes relative to the total number of oxidized carbon nanotubes in the oxidized carbon nanotube assembly of 51% or more, and has a heat of immersion per unit area in water of not less than 1,500 mJ/m.sup.2 and not more than 10,000 mJ/m.sup.2.

A multiwalled carbon nanotube includes at least 2 carbon nanotube walls. The multiwalled carbon nanotube have an outer surface and at least a portion of an oxygen functional group is attached to the outer surface thereof. Up to 5 atomic percent of the multiwalled carbon nanotube surface is an oxygen functional group. The surface atomic ratio of carbon to oxygen is between 17:1 and 19:1. A photocatalysis process to produce hydrogen and at least one solid carbon nanostructure includes the steps of: applying light to saturated hydrocarbons in the presence of a metal particle supported metal oxide photocatalyst to produce at least hydrogen gas and at least one solid carbon nanostructure; separating the hydrogen from at least one solid carbon nanostructure; and collecting the separated hydrogen and the at least one solid carbon nanostructure.

The present invention provides a carbon nanotube dispersion including carbon nanotubes; a first dispersant including a nonionic polymer having a weight average molecular weight of 4,000 g/mol to 30,000 g/mol; and a second dispersant including an anionic polymer having a sulfonic acid (salt) group, wherein a weight ratio of the first dispersant to the second dispersant is 5:1 to 1:5; a method of preparing the carbon nanotube dispersion; and an electrode slurry composition and secondary battery including the carbon nanotube dispersion.

A manufacturing method of a carbon nanotube dispersion liquid containing carbon nanotubes, a dispersant, and a solvent includes at least the following steps. A dispersion treatment is performed on the carbon nanotubes having a BET specific surface area (m.sup.2/g) of 220 to 800, 20 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of the dispersant relative to 100 parts by mass of the carbon nanotube, and the solvent using a homogenizer or a paint conditioner. A fiber length of the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube dispersion liquid obtained from the dispersion treatment ranges from 0.8 m to 3.5 m.