SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES ON REUSABLE SUBSTRATES

• Main Authors: ALBERDING, MARK R, JONES, MELISSA L, PETERSON, BRADLEY W, SHAH, TUSHAR K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 25.04.2013
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBONFILAMENTS; CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS,THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; METALLURGY; NANOTECHNOLOGY; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; SPINNING; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING

A system includes a reusable substrate upon which a carbon nanostructure is formed as a carbon nanostructure-laden reusable substrate, a first conveyor system adapted to continuously convey the reusuable substrate through a carbon nanotube catalyst application station and carbon nanostructure growth station, and a second conveyor system adapted to create an interface between a second substrate and the carbon nanostructure-laden reusuable substrate, the interface facilitating transfer of a carbon nanostructure from the carbon nanostructure-laden reusuable substrate to the second substrate. A method includes growing a carbon nanostructure on a reusable substrate, the carbon nanostructure includes a carbon nanotube polymer having a structural morphology comprising interdigitation, branching, crosslinking, and shared walls and transferring the carbon nanostructure to a second substrate to provide a carbon nanostructure-laden second substrate. The method is adapted for continuous carbon nanostructure production on the reusable substrate. A pre-preg includes such a carbon nanostructure.