Patents by Inventor Nolan Walker Nicholas
Nolan Walker Nicholas 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).
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Publication number: 20230071676Abstract: A device for interacting with a quantity of a sample, the device, comprising: a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is opposite to the second surface; an electrically-thin conductive layer disposed on the first surface of the substrate and configured to contact a first portion of the sample; a buried electrode disposed on the second surface of the substrate, the buried electrode being capacitively coupled with the electrically-thin conductive layer; and at least one electrode in contact with a second portion of the sample, wherein the second portion of the sample is remote from the first portion of the sample, and further wherein the at least one electrode and the electrically-thin conductive layer electrically interact via the sample; wherein the substrate is configured such that the substrate does not substantially conduct the flow of electric current through the electrically-thin conductive layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2022Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventor: Nolan Walker Nicholas
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Patent number: 9664634Abstract: Apparatus for detecting and identifying a chemical species in an environment, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged to form a network, the network comprising a plurality of inter-carbon nanotube junctions; a plurality of electrical contacts, each of the plurality of electrical contacts being connected to the network such that the anisotropic electrical characteristics of the network can be measured dynamically while the network is exposed to the environment; wherein the network possesses electrical anisotrophy such that the ratio of the number of inter-carbon nanotube junctions which must be traversed by current per length of the plurality of carbon nanotubes differs for different directions within the network along the path from one of the plurality of electrical contacts to another of the plurality of electrical contacts, and further wherein the electrical anisotrophy of the network changes when a chemical species is present in the environment.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2015Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: NanoLab, Inc.Inventor: Nolan Walker Nicholas
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Publication number: 20160054258Abstract: Apparatus for detecting and identifying a chemical species in an environment, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged to form a network, the network comprising a plurality of inter-carbon nanotube junctions; a plurality of electrical contacts, each of the plurality of electrical contacts being connected to the network such that the anisotropic electrical characteristics of the network can be measured dynamically while the network is exposed to the environment; wherein the network possesses electrical anisotrophy such that the ratio of the number of inter-carbon nanotube junctions which must be traversed by current per length of the plurality of carbon nanotubes differs for different directions within the network along the path from one of the plurality of electrical contacts to another of the plurality of electrical contacts, and further wherein the electrical anisotrophy of the network changes when a chemical species is present in the environment.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2015Publication date: February 25, 2016Inventor: Nolan Walker Nicholas
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Patent number: 9067791Abstract: According to some embodiments, the present invention provides a system and method for supporting a carbon nanotube array that involve an entangled carbon nanotube mat integral with the array, where the mat is embedded in an embedding material. The embedding material may be depositable on a carbon nanotube. A depositable material may be metallic or nonmetallic. The embedding material may be an adhesive material. The adhesive material may optionally be mixed with a metal powder. The embedding material may be supported by a substrate or self-supportive. The embedding material may be conductive or nonconductive. The system and method provide superior mechanical and, when applicable, electrical, contact between the carbon nanotubes in the array and the embedding material. The optional use of a conductive material for the embedding material provides a mechanism useful for integration of carbon nanotube arrays into electronic devices.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2007Date of Patent: June 30, 2015Assignee: WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITYInventors: Myung Jong Kim, Nolan Walker Nicholas, W. Carter Kittrell, Howard K. Schmidt
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Patent number: 8394664Abstract: A method for forming nanotube electrical devices, arrays of nanotube electrical devices, and device structures and arrays of device structures formed by the methods. Various methods of the present invention allow creation of semiconducting and/or conducting devices from readily grown SWNT carpets rather than requiring the preparation of a patterned growth channel and takes advantage of the self-controlling nature of these carpet heights to ensure a known and controlled channel length for reliable electronic properties as compared to the prior methods.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2007Date of Patent: March 12, 2013Assignee: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: Nolan Walker Nicholas, W. Carter Kittrell, Myung Jong Kim, Howard K. Schmidt
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Publication number: 20120107597Abstract: According to some embodiments, the present invention provides a system and method for supporting a carbon nanotube array that involve an entangled carbon nanotube mat integral with the array, where the mat is embedded in an embedding material. The embedding material may be depositable on a carbon nanotube. A depositable material may be metallic or nonmetallic. The embedding material may be an adhesive material. The adhesive material may optionally be mixed with a metal powder. The embedding material may be supported by a substrate or self-supportive. The embedding material may be conductive or nonconductive. The system and method provide superior mechanical and, when applicable, electrical, contact between the carbon nanotubes in the array and the embedding material. The optional use of a conductive material for the embedding material provides a mechanism useful for integration of carbon nanotube arrays into electronic devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2007Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITYInventors: Myung Jong Kim, Nolan Walker Nicholas, W. Carter Kittrell, Howard K. Schmidt
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Publication number: 20120071610Abstract: The present invention is generally directed toward a method to create an enhanced carbon nanotube spaceframe network. The spaceframe network contains an assembly of regiofunctional carbon nanotube beams by crown-to-crown connection into nodes to form a networked lattice configuration. The inventive method includes selecting crown materials and applying appropriate processing conditions which result in the production of secondary forms. The crown materials include polymers with unsaturated sites, polymeric crowns, silicon boron, poly(hydridocarbyne). The processing conditions include radical initiation, vulcanization, pyrolysis, hydroboration at unsaturation sites, using silicon bearing polymers in the Rf-CNB crowns, dissolution of silicon containing organics into the nodes and poly(hydridocarbyne). The secondary forms include cross-linked polymers, carbonized, graphitized, ceramic, diamond-like along with tailored functionalization.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2011Publication date: March 22, 2012Inventor: Nolan Walker Nicholas
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Patent number: 8124503Abstract: A new and useful nanotube growth substrate conditioning processes is herein disclosed that allows the growth of vertical arrays of carbon nanotubes where the average diameter of the nanotubes can be selected and/or controlled as compared to the prior art.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2007Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: Robert H. Hauge, Ya-Qiong Xu, Hongwei Shan, Nolan Walker Nicholas, Myung Jong Kim, Howard K. Schmidt, W. Carter Kittrell
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Publication number: 20120041153Abstract: The present invention is generally directed toward a regiofunctional carbon nanotube beam structures and a method the same. The regiofunctional carbon nanotube beam structures contain chemical moieties attached selectively to the ends and/or the sidewalls of the nanotube which differentiate the physico-chemical properties of the nanotube ends from the physico-chemical of the sidewalls to enable directed self-assembly. The method comprises the steps including opening carbon nanotube ends, protecting those ends from sidewall functionalization chemistry by chemically differentiating the open carbon nanotube ends from the nanotube sidewall, functionalizing the sidewalls, functionalizing the ends of the carbon nanotube and attaching crown to ends.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2010Publication date: February 16, 2012Inventor: Nolan Walker Nicholas
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Publication number: 20100140591Abstract: A method for forming nanotube electrical devices, arrays of nanotube electrical devices, and device structures and arrays of device structures formed by the methods. Various methods of the present invention allow creation of semiconducting and/or conducting devices from readily grown SWNT carpets rather than requiring the preparation of a patterned growth channel and takes advantage of the self-controlling nature of these carpet heights to ensure a known and controlled channel length for reliable electronic properties as compared to the prior methods.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2007Publication date: June 10, 2010Applicant: William Marsh RIce UniversityInventors: Nolan Walker Nicholas, W Carter Kittrell, Myung Jong Kim, Howard K. Schmidt
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Publication number: 20090294753Abstract: A new and useful nanotube growth substrate conditioning processes is herein disclosed that allows the growth of vertical arrays of carbon nanotubes where the average diameter of the nanotubes can be selected and/or controlled as compared to the prior art.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2007Publication date: December 3, 2009Applicant: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: Robert H. Hauge, Ya-Qiong Xu, Hongwei Shan, Nolan Walker Nicholas, Myung Jong Kim, Howard K. Schmidt, W. Carter Kittrell