US Patent 7662321 - Graphene plate alignment for nanocomposites

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7662321.html

Alignment of nanostructures generally helps to optimize the mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of nanocomposite materials. This patent from Nanotek Instruments teaches an alignment method applicable to graphene nanostructures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of making a nanocomposite material with a preferred orientation, said method comprising:

(a) providing a mixture of nano-scaled graphene plates (NGPs) and a matrix material in a fluent state;

(b) extruding said mixture to form a filament wherein said nano-scaled graphene plates are aligned along a filament axis;

(c) aligning a plurality of segments of said filament in a first direction, or moving said filament back and forth along a first direction and its opposite direction, to form a NGP-matrix filament preform; and

(d) consolidating said preform to form said nanocomposite material.