US Patent 7459312 - Cleaning of CNT sensors using light

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7459312.html

This patent from Stanford University teaches a method of using light to remove molecules from a carbon nanotube sensor to facilitate repeated use. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for using a carbon nanotube device including a carbon nanotube, the method comprising:

using a light source to direct light at the carbon nanotube and to desorb molecules from the carbon nanotube;

detecting a change in an electrical characteristic of the carbon nanotube; and

using the detected change to detect that the molecules have been desorbed from the carbon nanotube.