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Centrifugal Length Sorting of
Carbon Nanotubes
Dr. Jeffrey Fagan
Nanotubes (SWCNTs) come as a low purity mixture of many types and lengths.
10 – 30 Different Producers.
Current price $200 - $750 / gram.
Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes
Nanotubes are rolled up sheets of graphite.
How they are rolled up determines their electrical properties.
The length can be from < 10 nm to microns or more.
Image courtesy of wikipedia.org
Nanotube Market
Composites
Medical
Energy
Electronics
Market is rapidly growing.
Many potential applications.
~ 30 Major Producers
Chemical & Engineering NewsCarbon Nanotubes By The Metric TonNovember 12, 2007, Volume 85 (46), pp. 29-35
Market Problem
Composites
Medical
Energy
Electronics
~ 30 Major Producers
There is a disconnect between SWCNT quality and application’s needs.
X~ 10 – 50 %Nanotubes
Market Problem
Composites
Medical
Energy
Electronics
Value addition in the processing.
Some application require sorted material.
~ 10 – 50 %Nanotubes
> 90 %Nanotubes
Purified
Separated
We invented a technology to use a centrifuge to sort mixtures of tubes into different lengths.
Our technology allows the economical sorting of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by
length.
Technology works for all SCWNT types.
Technology
At bench scale 10 mg / day separation is easy, and at < $4 / mg total cost. Other separations
typically cost $20 - $30 / mg or more.
Our separation is scalable, current 10 mg /day is > 20 X larger than any competitor technique
Technology
Different types of long SWCNTs.
Technology
Longer SWCNTs have better optical and
Better Properties higher value
Sorting grades for different markets.
Raw Soot Purified Separated
Applications
mechanical properties.
Medical Applications
Transparent Conductive ElectrodesOther Electronics
Super / Ultracapacitor material
Flexible Electronics
Circuitry
RFID tags
Other EnergySolar Cells
Batteries
Fuel Cells
Energy Absorbing Material
Applications:
Length affects interactions with cells.
Applications:
Only some SWCNTs are useful.
Need to control the cell uptake.
Less material fewer side effects.
IMR 90 with > 200 nm SWNTs (cyan)None enter the cell in 16 hours
IMR 90 with < 200 nm SWNTs (red)Large numbers enter in < 16 hours
IMR 90 Human Lung CellStained green for visualization
Medical Applications
Market SizesTarget agents: Cancer Drugs Alone $45 Billion in 2007
Biosensors: $5.1 Billion in 2006• Ability to sense glucose and other commercially important bio-
molecules already demonstrated
Cost not an issue for medical applications, only the ability to meet required physical properties.
Sorting reduces the amount required.Minimize EHS risks and liabilitiesMaximize chance of FDA regulatory approval
• Size selection allows for greatly enhanced properties or property targeting while substantial reducing the required amount of SWCNTs for a given goal.
• Size selection eliminates impurities that could otherwise limit or cause regulatory approval failure.
Medical Sensors / Target Agents / Imaging Probes
Medical ApplicationsApplications:
SWCNTs offer a cheap replacement for ITO Current market for ITO is $1 Billion/year
10 % annual growth forecast for the next 5 -6 years.
Sorted SWCNTs are tougher, flexible and more transparent than ITO Separation Multiple grades more value extraction.
Applications: Conductive Coatings
Imag
e co
urte
sy o
f A
pple
Short time to market, likely 1 - 3 years
Imagescourtesy of Dell
NIST is planning several SWCNT reference materials (RMs) in FY 2009.
Raw Soot, Purified and Size sorted populations based on this technology will be produced.
These materials will allow for significant industrial advances in measurements, as well as traceability to NIST standards.
Reference Material to Support Technology in Early 2009
Collaboration
Dr. Kalman MiglerNIST – Polymers Division100 Bureau Drive, MS 8542Gaithersburg, MD 20899-
8542Tel: [email protected]
Opportunities ContactTechnical
Dr. Jeffrey FaganNIST: Polymers Division100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop
8542Gaithersburg, MD 20899-
8542Tel: 301-975-6740Email: [email protected]
