A system and method of producing carbon nanotubes from flare gas and other gaseous carbon-containing sources.

Provided herein are methods for forming one or more silicon nanostructures, such as silicon nanotubes, and a silica-containing glass substrate. As a result of the process used to prepare the silicon nanostructures, the silica-containing glass substrate comprises one or more nanopillars and the one or more silicon nanostructures extend from the nanopillars of the silica-containing glass substrate. The silicon nanostructures include nanotubes and optionally nanowires. A further aspect is a method for preparing silicon nanostructures on a silica-containing glass substrate. The method includes providing one or more metal nanoparticles on a silica-containing glass substrate and then performing reactive ion etching of the silica-containing glass substrate under conditions that are suitable for the formation of one or more silicon nanostructures.

The present development is a metal particle coated nanowire catalyst for use in the hydrodesulfurization of fuels and a process for the production of the catalyst. The catalyst comprises titanium(IV) oxide nanowires wherein the nanowires are produced by exposure of a TiO.sub.2—KOH paste to microwave radiation. Metal particles selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, tungsten, or a combination thereof, are impregnated on the metal oxide nanowire surface. The metal impregnated nanowires are sulfided to produce catalytically-active metal particles on the surface of the nanowires The catalysts of the present invention are intended for use in the removal of thiophenic sulfur from liquid fuels through a hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process in a fixed bed reactor. The presence of nanowires improves the HDS activity and reduces the sintering effect, therefore, the sulfur removal efficiency increases.

Fabrics that have unique mechanical properties are comprised of fibers that have been reacted to provide carbon nanostructures covalently grafted to these fibers so that the entanglement and/or the reactive bonding between adjacent fibers creates a hierarchal structure reinforcement of the fabric. This entanglement and/or reactivity is also effective for developing reinforcement between plies of structural fabric composites in order to enhance inter-laminar shear strength and mechanical properties.

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a film having a network of randomly aligned carbon nanotubes, where the carbon nanotubes have an average diameter between about 0.6 nm and about 2.0 nm and the carbon nanotubes form bundles having an average diameter between about 3 nm and about 50 nm. In addition, the composition is characterized by a power factor α.sup.2σ between 1 μW/mK.sup.2 and about 3500 μW/mK.sup.2 and by ZT=α.sup.2σT/k between about 0.02 and about 2.0 over a temperature range between about 100 K and about 500 K.

The carbon nanotube assembled wire includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented at a degree of orientation of 0.9 or more and 1 or less.

A technology called RINSE (Removal of Incubated Nanotubes through Selective Exfoliation) is demonstrated. RINSE removes carbon nanotube (CNT) aggregates in CNFETs without compromising CNFET performance. In RINSE, CNTs are deposited on a substrate, coated with a thin adhesive layer, and sonicated. The adhesive layer is strong enough to keep the individual CNTs on the substrate, but not the larger CNT aggregates. When combined with a CNFET CMOS process as disclosed here, record CNFET CMOS yield and uniformity can be realized.

The present invention relates to removal of catalytic metals from carbon nanomaterials bearing catalytic metals up to 15 wt % using an environmentally benign, non-mineral acid-based reagent solution. The reagent solution comprises a solid reagent selected from sodium persulphate or potassium persulphate or ammonium persulphate, wherein the solid reagent is dissolved in deionized water. The reagent solution enables removal of the metals present in the carbon nanomaterials without perturbing the structural integrity of carbon nanomaterials. The purification methodology disclosed in the present invention is suitable to use in energy storage, composite polymers, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, conductive inks, conductive paints, field emission transistors, etc.

A process for manufacturing shaped articles containing carbon nanotubes including the steps of supplying carbon nanotubes in an acidic liquid containing at least one acid, the at least one acid having a Hammett acidity function less than that of 100% sulfuric acid, the at least one acid having a Hammett acidity function equal or more than that of 90% sulfuric acid, and shaping the acidic liquid comprising carbon nanotubes into a shaped article.

The present invention relates to a carbon nanotube fiber and methods for preparing the same. In one embodiment, a method for preparing a carbon nanotube fiber comprises reacting a carbon source in the presence of a catalyst and a catalytic activator to form carbon nanotube aggregates, contacting the carbon nanotube aggregates with graphene oxide, and forming the carbon nanotube aggregates in contact with the graphene oxide into a carbon nanotube fiber.