Recovery Act - Large-Scale SWNT Purification and Solubilization

The unique properties of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) including exceptional mechanical strength, electron mobility and nanoscale dimensions make them excellent candidates for use in wide-ranging applications including polymer additives, transparent conductive films, nanoelectronics, sensing, nano-optics, transistors, filters, hydrogen storage, drug and gene delivery, oscillators, field emitters and even space elevators. Progress towards the commercial development of SWNT-based technologies has been severely impeded, however, by the poor availability and high cost of pure SWNT products. We propose to address the need for new enabling technology by uisng new medium formed by simple, commercially available biological compounds. No synthesis, chemical polymerization, non-aqueous solvents or potentially toxic materials are involved. The medium is inherently scalable and capable of processing nanotubes at very high concentrations without chemically altering or physically compromising their structure. The proposed research will benefit the private sector industries in widespread areas such as transportation, aerospace, computers, sensing, energy, communications, telecommunications, satellite technology, health care industries, paintings and coatings, environmental remediation and nuclear waste processing. The federal government will benefit in areas related to national security and defense through stronger, lighter-weight equipment and materials with greater tensile strength, instruments for sensing and medical applications that could be deployed in the field, monitoring devices for homeland security, improved coatings for naval vessels, lighter, stronger aircraft, higher performance supercomputers, and military products with longer lifetimes and higher energy efficiency. The public will benefit from applications in national security, greener processes for nanotechnology and related manufacturing, applications for environmental remediation, savings from more energy efficient and longer lasting products that are manufactured with fewer materials and greener processes, and new and improved devices, instrumentation and pharmaceuticals for health care. Creation of new industries and manufacturing processes will stimulate industrial growth and formation of new companies that will lead to job creation and stimulate the U.S. economy.