Patents by Inventor Akiyoshi Shibuya

Akiyoshi Shibuya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240140803
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for producing carbon nanotube aggregates to improve the contact efficiency between a source gas and catalysts, thereby enabling the efficient production of high-quality CNT aggregates. A method for producing carbon nanotube aggregates according to the disclosure is a method including a growth step of growing the carbon nanotube aggregates on substrates with catalysts on surfaces. In the growth step, a source gas supply step of forming a substrate layer by stacking the substrates at a lower portion of a growth furnace configured to perform the growth step, and supplying a source gas to the substrate layer through a plurality of gas injection ports arranged at the lower portion of the growth furnace, and an in-growth furnace stir and conveyance step of mechanically stirring and/or conveying the substrate layer are performed at least in part in an overlapping manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Keiichi KAWATA
  • Publication number: 20230083267
    Abstract: A production method for growing a carbon nanotube assembly on a substrate having a catalyst on a surface thereof. In this production method, in each of a formation unit that carries out a formation step of reducing a catalyst on the substrate and a growth unit that carries out a growth step of growing a carbon nanotube assembly, the substrate is continuously being conveyed using conveyance units that convey the substrate by screw rotations. In carrying out the formation step and the growth step, these steps are carried out while the gas environments in these steps are prevented from mixing with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Keiichi KAWATA
  • Publication number: 20230073662
    Abstract: A carbon nanotube assembly satisfies at least one of the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) an FT-IR spectrum of a CNT dispersion obtained by dispersing the CNT assembly has a peak based on plasmon resonance of the CNTs in a wave number range of greater than 300 cm?1 and 2000 cm?1 or less; (2) the highest peak in a differential pore capacity distribution of the CNT assembly is located within a pore size range of more than 100 nm and less than 400 nm; and (3) a two-dimensional spatial frequency spectrum of an electronic micrographic image of the CNT assembly has at least one peak within a range of 1 ?m?1 or more and 100 ?m?1 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Tomoko YAMAGISHI
  • Publication number: 20200016586
    Abstract: A catalyst-adhered body production method comprising an adhesion process for arranging a mixed liquid comprising a catalyst raw material and/or a catalyst carrier raw material and target particles in a container having a porous plate and adhering a catalyst and/or a catalyst carrier to the surface of target particles to obtain adherence-treated particles, an excess solution removal process for removing via the porous plate, at least a portion of excess solution comprising excess components which did not adhere to the adherence-treated particles from the container, to form a filled layer of the adherence-treated particles on the porous plate, and a drying process for drying the filled layer in the container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Applicants: WASEDA UNIVERSITY, ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Suguru NODA, Risa MAEDA, Akiyoshi SHIBUYA
  • Publication number: 20200009536
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for supported catalysts comprising a step A of forming a mixed layer having a catalyst component and a catalyst carrier component on at least a portion of the surface of a support body having a catalytic layer by bringing a mixed solution comprising a catalyst raw material and a catalyst carrier raw material into contact with the support body having a catalytic layer on the surface. Furthermore, such a manufacturing method for supported catalysts preferably comprises a step B in which the catalyst component is made to segregate to a surface of the mixed layer after step A.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicants: WASEDA UNIVERSITY, ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Suguru NODA, Risa MAEDA, Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Takayoshi HONGO
  • Patent number: 10294108
    Abstract: A method of producing a carbon nanostructure is provided that enables production of a high-quality carbon nanostructure with a high yield. The method of producing a carbon nanostructure includes supplying a feedstock gas to a catalyst and growing a carbon nanostructure by chemical vapor deposition. A gas X that is derived from the feedstock gas and that comes into contact with the catalyst contains a hydrocarbon A having at least one cyclopentadiene skeleton and a hydrocarbon B having at least one acetylene skeleton. A total volume concentration [A] of the hydrocarbon A is at least 0.06%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shibuya
  • Publication number: 20190119114
    Abstract: A method for producing a carbon nanostructure aggregate having a large external specific surface area and a carbon nanostructure aggregate are provided. The method for producing a carbon nanostructure aggregate comprises supplying a source gas to a catalyst to grow a carbon nanostructure aggregate comprising a plurality of carbon nanostructures by a chemical vapor deposition method, wherein a gas derived from the source gas and brought into contact with the catalyst comprises: as a hydrocarbon to serve as a carbon source, at least one of: a hydrocarbon A having at least one acetylene skeleton, a hydrocarbon B having at least one 1,3 -butadiene skeleton, a hydrocarbon C having at least one cyclopentadiene skeleton, and a hydrocarbon D having at least one allene skeleton, and carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; and satisfies 0.01?[CO]/[C]?15 where [C] is a total volume concentration of carbon contained in the hydrocarbons A, B, C, and D, and [CO] is a volume concentration of carbon monoxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA
  • Publication number: 20180297848
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing an aligned carbon nanotube includes: at least one injection section including at least one injection hole from which a raw material gas is injected to a base substrate; an exhaust vent for exhausting the raw material gas; and an exhaust section including a plurality of exhaust vents, the plurality of exhaust vents being provided so as to be closer to the exhaust vent than a plurality of injection holes included in the at least one injection hole of the at least one injection section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicants: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Kenji HATA, Motoo YUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180273385
    Abstract: A method of producing a carbon nanostructure is provided that enables production of a high-quality carbon nanostructure with a high yield. The method of producing a carbon nanostructure includes supplying a feedstock gas to a catalyst and growing a carbon nanostructure by chemical vapor deposition. A gas X that is derived from the feedstock gas and that comes into contact with the catalyst contains a hydrocarbon A having at least one cyclopentadiene skeleton and a hydrocarbon B having at least one acetylene skeleton. A total volume concentration [A] of the hydrocarbon A is at least 0.06%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA
  • Patent number: 10046969
    Abstract: An apparatus of the present invention for producing an aligned carbon nanotube includes: at least one injection section including at least one injection hole from which a raw material gas is injected to a base substrate; an exhaust vent for exhausting the raw material gas; and an exhaust section including a plurality of exhaust vents, the plurality of exhaust vents being provided so as to be closer to the exhaust vent than a plurality of injection holes included in the at least one injection hole of the at least one injection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Shibuya, Kenji Hata, Motoo Yumura
  • Patent number: 10011489
    Abstract: A method of producing a carbon nanostructure is provided that enables production of a high-quality carbon nanostructure with a high yield. The method of producing a carbon nanostructure includes supplying a feedstock gas to a catalyst and growing a carbon nanostructure by chemical vapor deposition. A gas X that is derived from the feedstock gas and that comes into contact with the catalyst contains a hydrocarbon A having at least one cyclopentadiene skeleton and a hydrocarbon B having at least one acetylene skeleton. A total volume concentration [A] of the hydrocarbon A is at least 0.06%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shibuya
  • Patent number: 9815698
    Abstract: This method improves a carbon nanotube growth environment. In this method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes, the supply amount of catalyst activating material supplied in a carbon nanotube growing step is adjusted to the supply amount of catalyst activating material supplied at the time of maximum concentration of a gas component among multiple measurements made in the growing step, the gas component being at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methane, and ethane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shibuya
  • Patent number: 9682863
    Abstract: Provided is a production apparatus (100) for continuously producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates on a substrate supporting a catalyst while continuously transferring the substrate. The production apparatus (100) includes gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) for preventing gas present outside a growth furnace (3a) from flowing into the growth furnace (3a). The gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) includes a seal gas ejection section (12b, 13b) so that the seal gas does not flow into the growth furnace through the openings of the growth furnace. The production apparatus prevents the outside air from flowing into the production apparatus, uniformly controls, within a range suitable to production of CNTs, a concentration distribution(s) and a flow rate distribution(s) of a raw material gas and/or a catalyst activation material on the substrate, and does not disturb gas flow as much as possible in the growth furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignees: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Shibuya, Kenji Hata, Motoo Yumura
  • Patent number: 9598285
    Abstract: An apparatus of the present invention for producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates is an apparatus for producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates, the apparatus being configured to grow the aligned carbon nanotube aggregate by: causing a catalyst formed on a surface of a substrate to be surrounded by a reducing gas environment constituted by a reducing gas; heating at least either the catalyst or the reducing gas; causing the catalyst to be surrounded by a raw material gas environment constituted by a raw material gas; and heating at least either the catalyst or the raw material gas, at least either an apparatus component exposed to the reducing gas or an apparatus component exposed to the raw material gas being made from a heat-resistant alloy, and having a surface plated with molten aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignees: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Shibuya, Keiichi Kawata, Kenji Hata, Motoo Yumura
  • Patent number: 9499904
    Abstract: The disclosed method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes includes the steps of growing CNTs on a substrate 12 and cleaning the inside of a growth furnace 13 by supplying a cleaning gas that contains water into the growth furnace 13. In the cleaning step, the cleaning is performed such that 0.7?(2[CO2]+[CO])/[H2]?1.3 is satisfied, where [H2], [CO2], and [CO] denote the concentrations of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, respectively, in a gas within the growth furnace 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shibuya
  • Publication number: 20160273100
    Abstract: The disclosed method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes includes the steps of growing CNTs on a substrate 12 and cleaning the inside of a growth furnace 13 by supplying a cleaning gas that contains water into the growth furnace 13. In the cleaning step, the cleaning is performed such that 0.7?(2[CO2]+[CO])/[H2]?1.3 is satisfied, where [H2], [CO2], and [CO] denote the concentrations of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, respectively, in a gas within the growth furnace 13.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA
  • Publication number: 20160221828
    Abstract: A method of producing a carbon nanostructure is provided that enables production of a high-quality carbon nanostructure with a high yield. The method of producing a carbon nanostructure includes supplying a feedstock gas to a catalyst and growing a carbon nanostructure by chemical vapor deposition. A gas X that is derived from the feedstock gas and that comes into contact with the catalyst contains a hydrocarbon A having at least one cyclopentadiene skeleton and a hydrocarbon B having at least one acetylene skeleton. A total volume concentration [A] of the hydrocarbon A is at least 0.06%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA
  • Publication number: 20160207771
    Abstract: An apparatus of the present invention for producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates is an apparatus for producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates, the apparatus being configured to grow the aligned carbon nanotube aggregate by: causing a catalyst formed on a surface of a substrate to be surrounded by a reducing gas environment constituted by a reducing gas; heating at least either the catalyst or the reducing gas; causing the catalyst to be surrounded by a raw material gas environment constituted by a raw material gas; and heating at least either the catalyst or the raw material gas, at least either an apparatus component exposed to the reducing gas or an apparatus component exposed to the raw material gas being made from a heat-resistant alloy, and having a surface plated with molten aluminum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicants: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Keiichi KAWATA, Kenji HATA, Motoo YUMURA
  • Publication number: 20160075558
    Abstract: Provided is a production apparatus (100) for continuously producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates on a substrate supporting a catalyst while continuously transferring the substrate. The production apparatus (100) includes gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) for preventing gas present outside a growth furnace (3a) from flowing into the growth furnace (3a). The gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) includes a seal gas ejection section (12b, 13b) so that the seal gas does not flow into the growth furnace through the openings of the growth furnace. The production apparatus prevents the outside air from flowing into the production apparatus, uniformly controls, within a range suitable to production of CNTs, a concentration distribution(s) and a flow rate distribution(s) of a raw material gas and/or a catalyst activation material on the substrate, and does not disturb gas flow as much as possible in the growth furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicants: ZEON CORPORATION, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Akiyoshi SHIBUYA, Kenji HATA, Motoo YUMURA
  • Patent number: 9227171
    Abstract: Provided is a production apparatus (100) for continuously producing aligned carbon nanotube aggregates on a substrate supporting a catalyst while continuously transferring the substrate. The production apparatus (100) includes gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) for preventing gas present outside a growth furnace (3a) from flowing into the growth furnace (3a). The gas mixing prevention means (12, 13) includes a seal gas ejection section (12b, 13b) so that the seal gas does not flow into the growth furnace through the openings of the growth furnace. The production apparatus prevents the outside air from flowing into the production apparatus, uniformly controls, within a range suitable to production of CNTs, a concentration distribution(s) and a flow rate distribution(s) of a raw material gas and/or a catalyst activation material on the substrate, and does not disturb gas flow as much as possible in the growth furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: ZEON CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Shibuya, Kenji Hata, Motoo Yumura