Abstract: A pile of carbon nanotubes was prepared by placing a small amount of catalyst solution on a substrate, putting the substrate into a furnace, purging the furnace, and heating the substrate under a flow of gaseous carbon source. A pile of carbon nanotubes formed on the substrate. Nanotubes from the pile were spun into a fiber.

Abstract: An array of long carbon nanotubes (i.e. an array where the average length of the nanotubes is greater than 0.5 millimeters) is prepared by exposing a supported catalyst at elevated temperature to a gas mixture of hydrocarbon, inert gas, and a relatively low percentage of hydrogen. Addition of water vapor to the gas mixture may result in an increase in the length of the nanotubes, an increase the rate of growth, and a decrease in contamination of the array by amorphous carbon. The temperature and growth time are also chosen to minimize the amount of amorphous carbon that forms on the array. Fibers spun from the array have a higher tensile strength compared to known CNT fibers.

Abstract: An apparatus that continuously processes a metal workpiece without substantially altering its cross section includes a wheel member having an endless circumferential groove, and a stationary constraint die that surrounds the wheel member, covers most of the length of the groove, and forms a passageway with the groove. The passageway has a rectangular shaped cross section. An abutment member projects from the die into the groove and blocks one end of the passageway. The wheel member rotates relative to the die in the direction toward the abutment member. An output channel in the die adjacent the abutment member has substantially the same cross section as the passageway. A metal workpiece is fed through an input channel into the passageway and carried in the groove by frictional drag in the direction towards the abutment member, and is extruded through the output channel without any substantial change in cross section.

Abstract: Coarse-grained titanium and ultrafine-grained (UFG) titanium billets were processed into titanium foil cold rolling and intermediate annealing. The foil produced from the UFG titanium billet exhibits a homogeneous nanostructure. By contrast, foil produced by cold rolling the coarse-grained titanium billet exhibits a heterogeneous structure with both nanostructured and coarser-grained regions. The foil produced from UFG billets has higher strength, higher ductility, and exhibits uniform deformation over a larger strain range at room temperature than foil produced from coarse-grained billets.