US Patent 7704480 - Manufacture of CNT yarn

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7704480.html

This patent is based on a collaboration between Tsinghua University and Hon Hai Precision and teaches methods for making longer strands of composite carbon nanotube fibers. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for making a carbon nanotube yarn, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a carbon nanotube array that is able to have one or more carbon nanotube yarn strings drawn therefrom;

(2) drawing out at least one planar carbon nanotube yarn string from the carbon nanotube array;

(3) applying organic solvent to the at least one carbon nanotube yarn string;

(4) removing the organic solvent such that the at least one planar carbon nanotube yarn string shrinks into a single non-planar strand of carbon nanotube yarn due to the surface tension of the organic solvent.