Apparatus and method for growing discrete ultralong cylindrical sp2 carbon structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019389727-A1
Application number	US-201916448336-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 22, 2018
Publication date	Dec 26, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of forming a carbon microtube includes providing a wire substrate in a heated furnace, contacting a surface of the wire substrate in the heated furnace with a reducing gas, forming a carbon microtube on the wire substrate by chemical vapor deposition of a carbon precursor in the heated furnace, and removing the carbon microtube, on the wire substrate, from the furnace.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of forming a carbon microtube comprising:
providing a wire substrate in a heated furnace; contacting a surface of the wire substrate in the heated furnace with a reducing gas; forming a carbon microtube on the wire substrate by chemical vapor deposition of a carbon precursor in the heated furnace; and removing the carbon microtube from the furnace.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: removing the substrate wire from the carbon microtube to provide a freestanding carbon microtube.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: forming an article which includes the carbon microtube, including embedding the microtube in a matrix material.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the wire substrate in the heated furnace comprises progressively drawing at least a portion of the wire through a hot zone of the furnace.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wire has a diameter of no more than 100 μm, or no more than 20 μm.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wire has a length of at least 1 cm, or at least 20 cm, or at least 60 cm.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing gas comprises hydrogen.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon precursor is selected from the group consisting of C 1 to C 10 hydrocarbons and C 1 to C 10 alcohols.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon microtube is predominantly sp 2 carbon.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon microtube is a multi-layer carbon microtube.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wire substrate includes a catalytic metal which catalyzes the chemical vapor deposition of the carbon precursor.

12 . A carbon microtube formed by the method of claim 1 .

13 . An article comprising a plurality of the carbon microtubes of claim 12 .

14 . A carbon microtube assembly comprising:
a core having a length of at least 10 cm; a carbon microtube surrounding the core, the carbon microtube comprising at least one layer of predominantly sp 2 carbon, the at least one layer having an outer diameter of no more than 100 μm.

15 . The carbon microtube assembly of claim 14 , wherein the core includes a catalytic metal selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, platinum group transition metals, 3d transition metals, and mixtures and alloys thereof.

16 . The carbon microtube assembly of claim 14 , wherein the core comprises a nickel surface and the carbon microtube comprises a plurality of layers of predominantly sp 2 carbon.

17 . An article comprising the carbon microtube assembly of claim 14 .

18 . An apparatus for forming a cylindrical carbon structure comprising:
a furnace including a chamber which defines a hot zone; a transport mechanism which progressively transports a wire through the hot zone; a source of a reducing gas connected with the chamber; and a source of a carbon precursor connected with the chamber, the carbon precursor being catalytically converted to a cylindrical carbon structure on the wire.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the transport mechanism includes a feed reel and a take-up reel, spaced by the hot zone, and a drive mechanism which drives the take-up reel.

20 . The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising a heater which provides a temperature of at least 850° C. in the hot zone.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Navy

Inventors

• Perkins F Keith
• De Leon Ignacio Perez
• Campbell Paul M
• Friedman Adam L
• Cleveland Erin

Classifications

• C23C16/01

  on temporary substrates, e.g. substrates subsequently removed by etching · CPC title

• C23C16/26

  Deposition of carbon only · CPC title

• C01B2202/34

  Length · CPC title

• C01B32/16 Primary

  Preparation · CPC title

• C01B2202/36

  Diameter · CPC title