Claims
- 1. A hybrid material comprising:
a. a first single-walled nanotube having a lumen; and b. a fill molecule contained within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
- 2. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the first single-walled nanotube has a diameter from about 1.3 to about 1.5 nm.
- 3. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fill molecule comprises a C60 molecule.
- 4. The hybrid material of claim 3 wherein the fill molecule comprises a plurality of C60 molecules.
- 5. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fill molecule comprises a carbon-based capsule.
- 6. The hybrid material of claim 5 wherein the carbon-based capsule comprises a hemispherically-capped cylinder of carbon having 60+10n carbon atoms, wherein n≧0.
- 7. The hybrid material of claim 6 wherein the hemispherically-capped cylinder of carbon has a length greater than a long dimension of a C70 molecule.
- 8. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fill molecule comprises a second single-walled nanotube.
- 9. The hybrid material of claim 8 wherein the second single-walled nanotube has a diameter from about 0.6 to about 0.8 nm.
- 10. The hybrid material of claim 9 wherein the first single-walled nanotube has a diameter from about 1.3 to about 1.5 nm.
- 11. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fill molecule comprises a metastable structure.
- 12. A method-for producing a hybrid material comprising a single-walled nanotube having a lumen and a fill molecule contained within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube, the method comprising the step of contacting the single-walled nanotube with the fill molecule under conditions of temperature, pressure, and time sufficient to cause the fill molecule to enter a lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
- 13. The method of claim 12 comprising the step of annealing the single-walled nanotube in the presence of the fill molecule.
- 14. A method for producing a hybrid material comprising a single-walled nanotube having a lumen and a fill molecule contained within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube, the method comprising the step of annealing the single-walled nanotube in the presence of the fill molecule.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube at a temperature below about 1000° C.
- 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube at a temperature below about 800° C.
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube at a temperature below about 600° C.
- 18. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube at a temperature above about 300° C.
- 19. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube in a vacuum.
- 20. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube in an inert environment.
- 21. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube in a non-oxidizing environment.
- 22. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube in air.
- 23. The method of claim 14 wherein the annealing step comprises annealing the single-walled nanotube for a time from about 1 hour to about 24 hours.
- 24. The method of claim 23 comprising the step of treating the single-walled nanotube with an acid prior to the annealing step.
- 25. A bulk material comprising single-walled nanotubes having lumens, wherein at least about 5% of the single-walled nanotubes contain a fill molecule within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
- 26. The bulk material of claim 25 wherein the single-walled nanotubes are arranged as a sheet of nanotubes.
Government Interests
[0001] The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of Grant No. DE-FC02-86ER45254 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy and Grant No. DMR98-02560 awarded by the National Science Foundation.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60145586 |
Jul 1999 |
US |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09625946 |
Jul 2000 |
US |
Child |
10335691 |
Jan 2003 |
US |