SBIR-STTR Award

Large-Volume Production of Monodisperse Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Award last edited on: 10/30/2018

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : Navy
Total Award Amount
$796,938
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
N091-073
Principal Investigator
Nathan Yoder

Company Information

NanoIntegris Inc

8025 Lamon Avenue Suite 43
Skokie, IL 60077
   (847) 679-0667
   info@nanointegris.com
   www.nanointegris.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 09
County: Cook

Phase I

Contract Number: N00014-09-M-0198
Start Date: 5/18/2009    Completed: 5/22/2010
Phase I year
2009
Phase I Amount
$99,986
In this Phase I project and the corresponding Phase I Option, we will investigate the feasibility of utilizing density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) for the production of large quantities of high-purity, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes with a narrow diameter distribution (1.3-1.7 nm). In Phase I, we will focus on streamlining our DGU process in order to enhance its scalability. We will subsequently adapt our streamlined process to operating parameters that will make it compatible with larger capacity equipment. In the Phase I Option, we will optimize our streamlined process to improve its key figures of merit, including yield, mass output, and purity.

Benefit:
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) possess unique electronic, optical, and material properties which make them ideal for use in a variety of commercial applications. For example, SWNTs can be either conductors or semiconductors, are thermally stable, possess incredible tensile strength, and can be easily biofunctionalized. Semiconducting SWNTs are additionally good emitters/absorbers of light in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and possess very high charge-carrier mobilities. Given their remarkable properties, semiconducting SWNTs can potentially be used to replace or complement traditional and organic semiconducting materials in devices such as integrated circuits, chemical sensors, near-IR emitters/detectors, photovoltaics, and transistors. However, established manufacturing techniques cannot generate SWNTs with highly uniform electronic properties. Before the above-mentioned SWNT applications can be realized, a means for producing highly uniform semiconducting SWNTs must first be developed. NanoIntegris is presently commercializing a technology, developed by the Hersam Research Group at Northwestern University, for separating as-produced SWNTs by diameter, chirality, and/or electronic type via density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU). In this Phase I SBIR proposal, we will explore the scale-up and optimization of our DGU process. If our research efforts are successful, they will enable companies in the electronics, energy, and biomedical industries to explore fundamentally new avenues for product development using semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, large quantities of highly uniform semiconducting SWNTs will enable new, academic research initiatives to be pursued. Research groups around the world are interested in studying the behavior of semiconducting SWNTs in (among other things): memory devices, SWNT integrated circuits, SWNT biological sensors, and SWNT/organic circuits. Such research, however, has been precluded by the limited availability of material for study.

Keywords:
semiconducting, semiconducting, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, carbon nanotubes, Sorting, Sensors, transistors, Monodisperse, Bandgap

Phase II

Contract Number: N00014-11-C-0135
Start Date: 2/7/2011    Completed: 8/6/2012
Phase II year
2011
Phase II Amount
$696,952
In this Phase II effort, we will scale-up to commercial levels a proprietary technology for producing highly semiconducting enriched (99%) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The technology utilizes a technique, called density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU), to separate as-grown SNWTs by their optoelectronic properties. If successful, our technology will enable the economic production of very large quantities of SWNTs that are uniformly semiconducting.

Benefit:
SWNTs possess unique electronic, optical, and material properties which make them ideal for use in a variety of commercial applications. For example, SWNTs can be either conductors or semiconductors, are thermally stable, possess incredible tensile strength, and can be easily biofunctionalized. Semiconducting SWNTs are additionally good emitters/absorbers of light in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and possess very high intrinsic charge-carrier mobilities. Given their remarkable properties, semiconducting SWNTs can potentially be used to replace or complement traditional and organic semiconducting materials in devices such as integrated circuits, photonic devices, chemical sensors, NIR emitters/detectors, photovoltaics, and transistors. However, established manufacturing techniques cannot generate SWNTs with highly uniform electronic properties. Before such SWNT applications can be realized, a means for producing large quantities of highly pure semiconducting SWNTs must first be developed. If our efforts are successful, they will enable companies in the electronics, energy, and biomedical industries to explore fundamentally new avenues for product development using semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, academic research groups around the world are interested in studying the behavior of semiconducting SWNTs in (among other things): memory devices, SWNT integrated circuits, SWNT biological sensors, and SWNT/organic circuits. Such research, however, has been precluded by the limited availability of material for study.

Keywords:
separated, carbon nanotubes, semiconducting, Infrared Sensors, chemical sensors, Monodisperse, transistors, saturable absorbers, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes