Patents by Inventor Alex I. WIXTROM

Alex I. WIXTROM 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).

  • Patent number: 12188536
    Abstract: The structural integrity and viscoelastic performance of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) materials may be improved through forming a compressed BNNT buckyweave. The BNNT buckyweave may be formed from a BNNT buckypaper having a bulk nanotube alignment (partial alignment) that may be maintained when forming the BNNT buckyweave, and compression may be parallel to and/or perpendicular to the partial alignment. The BNNT material may be viscoelastically-enhanced through, e.g., selection of synthesized BNNT material, impurity removal/reduction, BNNT alignment, isotopically enhancement, and compression relative to alignment. BNNT buckyweave s are introduced. The present approach provides viscoelastic behavior over temperatures from near absolute zero to near 1900 K. The transport of phonons along the BNNT molecules may be enhanced by utilizing isotopically enhanced BNNTs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: BNNT, LLC
    Inventors: R. Roy Whitney, Thomas G. Dushatinski, Thomas W. Henneberg, Kevin C. Jordan, Jonathan C. Stevens, Michael W. Smith, Clay F. Huff, Lyndsey R. Scammell, Alex I Wixtrom
  • Publication number: 20220325162
    Abstract: Thermal interface materials may be enhanced through the dispersion of refined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into a polymer matrix material and one or more microfillers. A refined BNNT material may be formed by reducing free boron particle content from an as-synthesized BNNT material, and in some embodiments reducing h-BN content. Reducing these species improves the thermal conductivity of the BNNTs. Refined BNNTs may be deagglomerated to reduce the size and mass of BNNTs in agglomerations when the deagglomerated BNNT material is dispersed into a target polymer matrix material. The deagglomerated BNNT material may be lyophilized prior to dispersion in the matrix material, to retain the deagglomeration benefit following return to solid state. The surface of the deagglomerated BNNT material may be modified, with one or more functional groups that improve dispersibility and heat transfer in the target polymer matrix material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas G. DUSHATINSKI, Thomas W. HENNEBERG, Clay F. HUFF, Kevin C. JORDAN, Jonathan C. STEVENS, Michael W. SMITH, R. Roy WHITNEY, Lyndsey R. SCAMMELL, Alex I. WIXTROM
  • Patent number: 11390787
    Abstract: Thermal interface materials may be enhanced through the dispersion of refined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into a polymer matrix material and one or more microfillers. A refined BNNT material may be formed by reducing free boron particle content from an as-synthesized BNNT material, and in some embodiments reducing h-BN content. Reducing these species improves the thermal conductivity of the BNNTs. Refined BNNTs may be deagglomerated to reduce the size and mass of BNNTs in agglomerations when the deagglomerated BNNT material is dispersed into a target polymer matrix material. The deagglomerated BNNT material may be lyophilized prior to dispersion in the matrix material, to retain the deagglomeration benefit following return to solid state. The surface of the deagglomerated BNNT material may be modified, with one or more functional groups that improve dispersibility and heat transfer in the target polymer matrix material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: BNNT, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Dushatinski, Thomas W. Henneberg, Clay F. Huff, Kevin C. Jordan, Jonathan C. Stevens, Michael W. Smith, R. Roy Whitney, Lyndsey R. Scammell, Alex I. Wixtrom
  • Publication number: 20220099151
    Abstract: The structural integrity and viscoelastic performance of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) materials may be improved through forming a compressed BNNT buckyweave. The BNNT buckyweave may be formed from a BNNT buckypaper having a bulk nanotube alignment (partial alignment) that may be maintained when forming the BNNT buckyweave, and compression may be parallel to and/or perpendicular to the partial alignment. The BNNT material may be viscoelastically-enhanced through, e.g., selection of synthesized BNNT material, impurity removal/reduction, BNNT alignment, isotopically enhancement, and compression relative to alignment. BNNT buckyweave s are introduced. The present approach provides viscoelastic behavior over temperatures from near absolute zero to near 1900 K. The transport of phonons along the BNNT molecules may be enhanced by utilizing isotopically enhanced BNNTs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: R. Roy Whitney, Thomas G. Dushatinski, Thomas W. Henneberg, Kevin C. Jordan, Jonathan C. Stevens, Michael W. Smith, Clay F. Huff, Lyndsey R. Scammell, Alex I Wixtrom
  • Publication number: 20210040371
    Abstract: Thermal interface materials may be enhanced through the dispersion of refined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into a polymer matrix material and one or more microfillers. A refined BNNT material may be formed by reducing free boron particle content from an as-synthesized BNNT material, and in some embodiments reducing h-BN content. Reducing these species improves the thermal conductivity of the BNNTs. Refined BNNTs may be deagglomerated to reduce the size and mass of BNNTs in agglomerations when the deagglomerated BNNT material is dispersed into a target polymer matrix material. The deagglomerated BNNT material may be lyophilized prior to dispersion in the matrix material, to retain the deagglomeration benefit following return to solid state. The surface of the deagglomerated BNNT material may be modified, with one or more functional groups that improve dispersibility and heat transfer in the target polymer matrix material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas G. DUSHATINSKI, Thomas W. HENNEBERG, Clay F. HUFF, Kevin C. JORDAN, Jonathan C. STEVENS, Michael W. SMITH, R. Roy WHITNEY, Lyndsey R. SCAMMELL, Alex I. WIXTROM
  • Patent number: 10844262
    Abstract: Thermal interface materials may be enhanced through the dispersion of refined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into a polymer matrix material and one or more microfillers. A refined BNNT material may be formed by reducing free boron particle content from an as-synthesized BNNT material, and in some embodiments reducing h-BN content. Reducing these species improves the thermal conductivity of the BNNTs. Refined BNNTs may be deagglomerated to reduce the size and mass of BNNTs in agglomerations when the deagglomerated BNNT material is dispersed into a target polymer matrix material. The deagglomerated BNNT material may be lyophilized prior to dispersion in the matrix material, to retain the deagglomeration benefit following return to solid state. The surface of the deagglomerated BNNT material may be modified, with one or more functional groups that improve dispersibility and heat transfer in the target polymer matrix material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: BNNT, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Dushatinski, Thomas W. Henneberg, Clay F. Huff, Kevin C. Jordan, Jonathan C. Stevens, Michael W. Smith, R. Roy Whitney, Lyndsey R. Scammell, Alex I. Wixtrom
  • Publication number: 20200283669
    Abstract: Thermal interface materials may be enhanced through the dispersion of refined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) into a polymer matrix material and one or more microfillers. A refined BNNT material may be formed by reducing free boron particle content from an as-synthesized BNNT material, and in some embodiments reducing h-BN content. Reducing these species improves the thermal conductivity of the BNNTs. Refined BNNTs may be deagglomerated to reduce the size and mass of BNNTs in agglomerations when the deagglomerated BNNT material is dispersed into a target polymer matrix material. The deagglomerated BNNT material may be lyophilized prior to dispersion in the matrix material, to retain the deagglomeration benefit following return to solid state. The surface of the deagglomerated BNNT material may be modified, with one or more functional groups that improve dispersibility and heat transfer in the target polymer matrix material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Thomas G. DUSHATINSKI, Thomas W. HENNEBERG, Clay F. HUFF, Kevin C. JORDAN, Jonathan C. STEVENS, Michael W. SMITH, R. Roy WHITNEY, Lyndsey R. SCAMMELL, Alex I. WIXTROM