A light absorber preform solution includes a solvent, a plurality of carbon nanotubes entangled with each other to form a network structure, and a plurality of carbon particles in the network structure. The plurality of carbon nanotubes and the plurality of carbon particles are in the solvent.

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.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a carbon film having an excellent shield performance against electromagnetic waves. The carbon film of the present disclosure is a carbon film made of a carbon nanotube assembly, wherein a pore distribution curve of the carbon film indicating the relationship between the pore size and the Log differential pore capacity obtained from an adsorption isotherm at 77 K of liquid nitrogen based on the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda method has a peak in which the Log differential pore capacity is maximized within a pore size range of 10 nm or more and 100 nm or less, and the value of the Log differential pore capacity at the peak is 1.2 cm.sup.3/g or more.

Disclosed here is a method of fabricating a covalently reinforced carbon nanotube (CNT) assembly. The method includes producing a CNT assembly by pulling entangled CNTs from a CNT array fabricated on a substrate, the CNT assembly including a plurality of CNTs that are aligned; and creating covalent bonding between the CNTs of the CNT assembly by applying a high energy ion irradiation to the CNT assembly.

A carbon nanotube assembly satisfies at least one of the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) an FT-IR spectrum of a CNT dispersion obtained by dispersing the CNT assembly has a peak based on plasmon resonance of the CNTs in a wave number range of greater than 300 cm.sup.−1 and 2000 cm.sup.−1 or less; (2) the highest peak in a differential pore capacity distribution of the CNT assembly is located within a pore size range of more than 100 nm and less than 400 nm; and (3) a two-dimensional spatial frequency spectrum of an electronic micrographic image of the CNT assembly has at least one peak within a range of 1 μm.sup.−1 or more and 100 μm.sup.−1 or less.

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 reinforcement for increasing the strength and toughness and other properties in both transverse and in-piano directions for a composite material, and methods of manufacture therefor. The reinforcement has a layer of a nanoforest of vertical nanotubes or nanowires and a layer of horizontal nanotubes or nanowires. The reinforcement can be made by rolling a vertical nanoforest to produce a collapsed layer of horizontal nanofubes or nanowires, then growing a vertical nanoforest on the collapsed layer. The reinforcement can be grown directly on fibers which are used to reinforce the composite material, or alternatively Interleaved with layers of those fibers before the composite part is cured. The reinforcement and manufacturing method are compatible with almost any composite material in any shape, including epoxy, polymer, or ceramic matrix composites, or any manufacturing method, including prepreg, wet-layup and matrix film stacking. The present invention reduces scrap, rework, and repair hours for composites manufacturing.

A method of fabricating a carbon nanotube (“CNT”) array includes providing a substrate with a CNT catalyst disposed on a surface of the substrate, heating the CNT catalyst to an annealing temperature, exposing the CNT catalyst to a CNT precursor for an exposure period to pre-load the CNT catalyst, and exposing the pre-loaded CNT catalyst to a carbon source for a growth period to form the CNT array. The formed CNT array comprises a plurality of CNT bundles that are aligned with one another in an alignment direction. At least one of the plurality of bundles comprises an average structural factor of 1.5 or less along an entirety of the length thereof.

The present disclosure discloses a device and a method for preparing a high-density aligned carbon nanotube film. The device includes a container main body, a buffer partition plate and a solvent lead-out part. The buffer partition plate is located at a lower part of the container main body. The solvent lead-out part communicates with an interior of the container main body through a through hole in a side wall of the container main body and extends to an outside of the container main body. The method includes injecting a carbon nanotube solution into a container; immersing a substrate in the carbon nanotube solution; injecting a sealing liquid that is immiscible with the carbon nanotube solution along the substrate or the side wall of the container main body; and leading the solvent out or pulling the substrate such that the liquid surface of the substrate undergoes relative motion.