US Patent 7213637 - Heat pipe with inner carbon nanotube coating

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7213637.html

This patent from Hon Hai Precision proposes using carbon nanotubes in the interior of heat pipes which use capillary force to effect efficient thermal transfer. While carbon fibers were used in the prior art the size of the fibers disrupted the capillary flow. Claim 1 reads:

1. A heat pipe comprising: a vacuumated pipe; a wick having a capillary structure engaged with an inside wall of the pipe; and an operating fluid sealed in the pipe and soaking the wick; wherein the wick comprises a carbon nanotube layer, and the operating fluid comprises a liquid and a plurality of nanometer-scale particles suspended in the liquid.