Abstract: A method for growing single-wall carbon nanotubes involves preparing a catalyst comprising catalytic metals, iron and molybdenum, and magnesium oxide support material and contacting the catalyst with a gaseous carbon-containing feedstock at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient contact time to make single-wall carbon nanotubes. The weight ratio of iron and molybdenum can range from about 2 to 1 to about 10 to 1 and the metals loading up to about 10 wt % of the MgO. The catalyst can be sulfided. Methane is a suitable carbon-containing feedstock. The process can be conducted in batch, continuous or semi-continuous modes, in reactors, such as a transport reactor, fluidized bed reactor, moving bed reactors and combinations thereof. The process also includes making single-wall carbon nanotubes with catalysts comprising at least one Group VIB or Group VIIIB metal on supports such as magnesia, zirconia, silica, and alumina, where the catalyst is sulfided.

Abstract: A method for separating single-wall carbon nanotubes from an aqueous slurry comprises adding a water-immiscible organic solvent to an aqueous slurry comprising single-wall carbon nanotubes, isolating at least some of the single-wall carbon nanotubes in the solvent, and removing the solvent from the single-wall carbon nanotubes to form dried single-wall carbon nanotubes. A spheroidal aggregate of single-wall carbon nanotubes is formed wherein the aggregate is approximately spherical and has a diameter in a range of about 0.1 and about 5 mm, and wherein the aggregate contains at least about 80 wt % single-wall carbon nanotubes. The spheroidal aggregates of single-wall carbon nanotubes are easily handled in industrial processes and are redispersable to single-wall carbon nanotubes and/or ropes of single-wall carbon nanotubes. This invention can also be applied to multi-wall carbon nanotubes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite comprising a weight fraction of single-wall carbon nanotubes and at least one polar polymer wherein the composite has an electrical and/or thermal conductivity enhanced over that of the polymer alone. The invention also comprises a method for making this polymer composition. The present application provides composite compositions that, over a wide range of single-wall carbon nanotube loading, have electrical conductivities exceeding those known in the art by more than one order of magnitude. The electrical conductivity enhancement depends on the weight fraction (F) of the single-wall carbon nanotubes in the composite. The electrical conductivity of the composite of this invention is at least 5 Siemens per centimeter (S/cm) at (F) of 0.5 (i.e. where single-wall carbon nanotube loading weight represents half of the total composite weight), at least 1 S/cm at a F of 0.1, at least 1×10?4 S/cm at (F) of 0.004, at least 6×10?9 S/cm at (F) of 0.

Abstract: A composite comprising single-wall carbon nanotubes and aromatic polyamide, can be made by suspending single-wall carbon nanotubes in an acid to form a nanotube-acid mixture, adding an aromatic polyamide to the nanotube-acid mixture and dispersing the single-wall carbon nanotubes in the polyamide to form a single-wall carbon nanotube-polyamide dope. The dope can be spun into a fiber or formed into a film. Acid can be removed from the composite. A preferred polyamide is poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide). Carbon nanotube-aromatic polyamide composites can be used in applications requiring material having high tensile strength and modulus, such as, structural reinforcement materials, protective elements in ballistic protection applications wherein the composite material absorbs impact energy of projectiles, fragments, or other energetic particles. Ballistic protection applications include armor for personnel, structures and vehicles.