| US 7,572,426 B2 | ||
| Selective functionalization of carbon nanotubes | ||
| Michael S. Strano, Champaign, Ill. (US); Monica Usrey, Champaign, Ill. (US); Paul Barone, Champaign, Ill. (US); Christopher A. Dyke, Humble, Tex. (US); James M. Tour, Bellaire, Tex. (US); W. Carter Kittrell, Houston, Tex. (US); Robert H. Hauge, Houston, Tex. (US); and Richard E. Smalley, Houston, Tex. (US) | ||
| Assigned to William Marsh Rice University, Houston, Tex. (US) | ||
| Appl. No. 10/566,073 PCT Filed Jul. 29, 2004, PCT No. PCT/US2004/024507 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jan. 26, 2006, PCT Pub. No. WO2005/012172, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 10, 2005. |
||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/490755, filed on Jul. 29, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0063587 A1, Mar. 13, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. C01B 31/02 (2006.01); C07C 245/20 (2006.01); C08K 9/04 (2006.01); D01F 9/12 (2006.01); C01B 31/00 (2006.01); C09C 1/56 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 423—447.1 [423/447.2; 423/439; 423/460; 423/461; 205/432; 205/413; 205/431; 977/742; 977/734; 977/745; 977/748] | 13 Claims |
| 1. A method for selectively functionalizing carbon nanotubes, wherein the method comprises:
a) suspending a plurality of carbon nanotubes in a solvent to provide a plurality of suspended carbon nanotubes;
wherein the plurality of suspended carbon nanotubes comprise metallic carbon nanotubes, semimetallic carbon nanotubes and
semiconducting carbon nanotubes; and
b) reacting a substoichiometric amount of a functionalizing species with respect to the amount of carbon of the carbon nanotubes,
with the plurality of suspended carbon nanotubes;
wherein the substoichiometric amount of the functionalizing species is selected such that a reaction of the functionalizing
species occurs only with metallic and semimetallic carbon nanotubes but not with semiconducting carbon nanotubes.
|