US Patent 7969079 - Membrane sensor for CNTs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7969079.html

This patent from Harvard has priority going back to 2002 and teaches a nanotube sensor device. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon nanotube device comprising:

a free-standing membrane peripherally supported by a support structure and including an aperture extending through a thickness of the membrane with the aperture disposed at a membrane location directing a liquid through the aperture;

at least one carbon nanotube extending across the aperture on a front surface of the membrane and accessible from a back surface of the membrane and a connection from the carbon nanotube to an electrical circuit, sensing by the nanotube as species in a liquid pass through the aperture in the membrane.

US Patent 7968660 - Polymer-CNT nanoomposites

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968660.html

This patent from Nanocyl has priority going back to 2003 and includes some basic claims to nanotube-polymer composites. Claim 1 reads:

1. Nanocomposite comprising a dispersion of carbon nanotubes within a polymer matrix, wherein said polymer matrix comprises a polyolefin polymerized in situ on said carbon nanotubes said polyolefin forming a coating around said carbon nanotube.

US Patent 7968503 - Molybdenum nanomaterials

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968503.html

This patent from PPG Industries Ohio teaches several applications of molybdenum nanoparticles such as pigments, corrosion inhibition, flame retardant, and agricultural nutrients. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanomaterial composition comprising:

molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles having a mean size less than 250 nanometers; and

molybdate nanoparticles having a mean size less than 100 nanometers, wherein the composition of matter reduces the static or dynamic coefficient of friction for a surface by 5% or more.

US Patent 7968489 - Preparing supported catalysts from metal loaded CNTs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968489.html

This patent from Hyperion Catalysis teaches manufacturing a carbon nanotube catalyst material useful for petroleum processing. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for preparing a supported catalyst comprising:

de-aggregating aggregates of multiwalled carbon nanotubes to provide de-aggregated multiwalled carbon nanotubes;

loading metal catalysts or metal catalyst precursors onto the de-aggregated multiwalled carbon nanotubes to form metal-loaded de-aggregated multiwalled carbon nanotubes; and

forming a carbon nanotube structure from the metal-loaded de-aggregated multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

US Patent 7968474 - Nanowire alignment and deposition

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968474.html

This patent is co-owned by Sharp and Nanosys and includes some basic claim to the alignment of nanowires during deposition. Claim 1 reads:


1. A method for positioning one or more nanowires, comprising

(a) providing one or more nanowires proximate to an electrode pair;

(b) energizing the electrode pair by generating an AC electric field between the electrode pair, whereby the nanowires become associated with the electrode pair; and

(c) modulating the energizing of the electrode pair by adjusting the frequency of the AC electric field, adjusting the amplitude of the AC electric field, or both, whereby the nanowires become coupled onto the electrode pair.

US Patent 7968433 - Growing nanowires

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968433.html

This patent from NIST teaches a way to control the growth positions of nanowires. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of fabricating a nanowire structure, comprising:

photolithographically depositing a nucleation center on a crystalline surface of a substrate;

generating a nanoscale seed from the nucleation center; and

epitaxially growing a nanowire across at least a portion of the crystalline surface starting at a nucleation site where the nanoscale seed is located.

US Patent 7968184 - Erosion resistant CNT surface for oilfield exploration

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968184.html

This patent from Schlumberger Technology Corporation teaches a way to reduce erosion of equipment used in wellbore drilling using carbon nanotube coatings. Claim 1 reads:

13. An erosion resistant device for oilfield exploration, drilling, or production comprising:

a component having an erosion resistant surface having an array of elastic whiskers;

wherein the array of elastic whiskers reduces a speed of a particle impacting the erosion resistant surface thus reducing an erosion rate of the erosion resistant surface;

wherein the array of elastic whiskers comprises a forest of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes; and

wherein the erosion resistant device is selected from a mud motor rotor, stator, drill bit, and shirttails.

US Patent 7968084 - Nanoscopic hair care products

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968084.html

This patent from Boston Cosmetics teaches the benefits of polymer nanomaterials to hair coloring and conditioning products. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of treating hair which comprises,

applying a hair treatment preparation to an individual's hair, the hair treatment preparation comprising a liquid and a payload in an intimate relationship to a polymeric nanostructure, the polymeric nanostructure capable of being reactive to hair, or capable of being immobilized onto or in the hair;

the polymeric nanostructure and the payload not being attached to the hair, and changing conditions by applying an agent to the individual's hair, the agent comprising at least one of a polymer and an ionic specie, the agent interacting with the polymeric nanostructure such that the payload and nanostructure are attached to the hair under non-oxidizing conditions, the payload and nanostructure not being capable of detachment from the hair by water rinsing.

US Patent 7968013 - CNT n-doping material

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7968013.html

This patent from Samsung teaches new materials useful for n-doping carbon nanotubes in order to create nanotube-bases diodes, LEDs, and transistors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon nano-tube (CNT) n-doping composition comprising:

carbon nano-tubes and a material which n-dopes a carbon nano-tube,

said n-doping material comprising nicotinamide and a compound which is chemically combined with nicotinamide,

wherein the compound which is chemically combined with nicotinamide is at least one selected from the group consisting of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), reduced nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMNH), a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH).

US Patent 7967457 - CNT grid for solar concentrator

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7967457.html

This patent teaches a way to replace Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) used in solar grids with carbon nanotube material which may provide less expensive and more durable grids. Claim 1 reads:

1. A solar concentrator equipment comprising:

a) at least one layer of active electronic control grid on the outer surface of said solar concentrator equipment;

b) said control grid activated by a microprocessor;

c) said control grid forming a matrix of orthogonal lines;

d) said orthogonal lines having voltage nodes at the intersection junctions;

e) wherein said active electronic control grid being optically transparent in the wavelength range of about 2000 to approximately 7500 Angstroms; and

f) said active electronic control grid of said solar concentrator equipment having a grid structure composed of nanotubes.

US Patent 7965156 - CNT resonator

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7965156.html

This latest patent from Nantero teaches how to use carbon nanotube fabrics to obtain smaller, cheaper, lower power and higher performing resonators for application in wireless communications. Claim 1 reads:

1. A resonator, comprising:

a nanotube element comprising a non-woven fabric of unaligned nanotubes and having a thickness, and a support structure defining a gap over which the nanotube element is suspended, the thickness of the nanotube element and the length of the gap being selected to provide a pre-specified resonance frequency for the resonator;

a conductive element in electrical contact with the nanotube element;

a drive electrode in spaced relation to the nanotube element; and

power logic in electrical contact with the at least one drive electrode, the power logic providing a series of electrical pulses at a frequency selected to be about the same as the pre-specified resonance frequency of the resonator to the drive electrode during operation of the resonator, such that the nanotube element responds to the series of electrical pulses applied to the drive electrode by making a series of mechanical motions at the resonance frequency of the resonator.

US Patent 7964908 - Memory cell with oxygen vacancy nanoregions

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7964908.html

A variety of designs for future charge trap flash memory have been proposed using semiconductor nanocrystals as the charge trap material. This patent from Samsung teaches an alternate approach which may be simpler to manufacture by using nanostructured regions of metal oxides having oxygen vacancies. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory cell comprising:

a substrate; and

a charge storage gate at an upper portion of the substrate, the charge storage gate including a gate electrode and a plurality of dielectric layers interposed between the gate electrode and the substrate,

wherein at least one of the dielectric layers comprises a dielectric material and nano regions embedded in the dielectric material,

wherein an atomic composition of the dielectric material includes oxygen, an atomic composition of the nano regions includes oxygen, and an oxygen concentration of the dielectric material is greater than an oxygen concentration of the nano regions.

US Patent 7964447 - CNT thermal interface

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7964447.html

This patent from Intel teaches the fabrication of a thermal interconnect between IC packages and heat spreaders using carbon nanotube arrays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A process comprising:

growing a first carbon nanotube (CNT) array on a first substrate in a first pattern;

growing a second CNT array on a second substrate in a second pattern that is geometrically complementary to the first pattern; and

assembling the first CNT array and the second CNT array such that the first substrate and the second substrate are joined at the first CNT array and the second CNT array.

US Patent 7964174 - Multi-diameter nanotube

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7964174.html

Carbon nanotubes are usually classified in terms of single walled, double walled, or multiwalled types wherein each nanotube type typically has uniform diameter. This patent from Intel teaches a method of manufacturing an individual nanotube which mixes different diameters and which may play a role in developing nanotube heterojunction electronics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method, comprising:

forming a first portion of a nanotube with a first diameter;

after forming the first portion, attaching the first portion of a nanotube to a particle; and

after attaching, forming a second portion of the nanotube with a second diameter on the particle coupled to the first portion of the nanotube.

US Patent 7964159 - Monitoring fluidic interaction with nanotube conduit

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7964159.html

This patent has priority from 2005 and includes some broad claims for using nanotubes in nanofluidic diagnostics. Claim 1 reads:

1. An analytical device comprising:

two reservoirs capable of fluid containment; and

at least one nanotube placing said reservoirs in fluid communication with one another, a portion of the exterior of the at least one nanotube being exposed to the environment exterior to the reservoirs, at least a portion of the lumen of at least one nanotube being observable by electron or ion-beam microscopy.

US Patent 7963148 - ZnO nanowire gas sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7963148.html

This patent from National Formosa University aims to improve the performance of gas sensors using ZnO nanowires as channel material of a field effect transistor. Claim 1 reads:

1. A gas sensor device made of ZnO nanowire field effect transistor consisting of:

(a) a Si substrate;

(b) a SiO2 film grown on Si substrate;

(c) an metal film coated on SiO2 film;

(d) an insulator film deposited on metal film;

(e) a ZnO nanowire film coated on insulator film;

(f) two metal electrodes deposited on ZnO nanowire film and spaced by a trench; and

(g) an alloy wire coated on the back side of Si substrate.

US Patent 7961262 - LCD manufacture with conductive nanoparticles

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7961262.html

This patent from Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Technology teaches how nanoparticles can be used to improve anti-static properties of LCDs. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display, comprising the steps of:

providing an array substrate and a color filter substrate;

dispensing a mixture solution of conductive nano-particles and liquid crystals onto the array substrate; and

assembling the array substrate and the color filter substrate.

US Patent 7960904 - CNT field emitters subject to energy treatment

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960904.html

This patent from Hyperion Catalysis has priority going back to 2001 and includes basic claims to carbon nanotube field emitters treated to decrease the working voltage. A prior art patent not considered during examination is US 6283812 with priority going back to 1999 and which teaches plasma, chemical, or mechanical treatment to truncate carbon nanotubes for field emission (column 5, line 22 - column 6, line 15). Claim 1 reads:

1. A field emission device comprising:

a cathode; and

an anode spaced from the cathode,

wherein said cathode includes emitters comprising carbon nanotubes which have been subjected to energy, plasma, chemical, or mechanical treatment.

US Patent 7960715 - Semiconductor heterostructure nanowire

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960715.html

This patent from the University of Iowa includes some basic claims for nanowire heterostuctures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A heterostructure semiconductor nanowire device, comprising:

a first portion comprising a first compound semiconductor material; and

a second portion adjacent to the first portion and comprising a second compound semiconductor material,

wherein the first compound semiconductor material and the second compound semiconductor material are selected such that at least one of the first portion or the second portion is substantially metallic.

US Patent 7960653 - Conductive nanowires for electrical interconnect

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960653.html

When integrating several different types of components (e.g. CMOS, MEMS, electro-optics) on a single semiconductor chip one problem is to create reliable electrical interconnects that are compatible with different thermal, mechanical, and electrical characteristics of each type of component. This patent from HP teaches a solution based on nanowire interconnects. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electrical interconnect, comprising:

first and second electrical contacts to be electrically connected, each electrical contact comprising a plurality of electrically conductive nanowires extending outwardly from a respective electrical contact; and

said nanowires of said first electrical contact configured to contact with said nanowires of said second electrical contact such that an electrical connection is established between said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact;

wherein said nanowires of said first and second electrical contacts comprise different materials such that contact between nanowires of said first and second electrical contacts is contact between two different materials.

US Patent 7960260 - Formation of nanowhiskers on a substrate of dissimilar material

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960260.html

This patent from QuNano includes claims to the formation of heterostructures formed by nanowire arrays on a substrate which is relevant to applications in solid state light emission. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for forming a nanowhisker, having at least a base portion of a first material, on a substrate of a second material different from said first material, comprising:

providing a substrate of said second material having a surface comprising at least one catalytic particle on an atomically flat growth region; and

epitaxially growing the nanowhisker on said growth region via said catalytic particle, wherein said substrate comprises a Si(001) substrate,

wherein said first material is selected from a group consisting of II-VI and III-V semiconductor compounds.

US Patent 7960258 - Fabricating nanoscale thermoelectric device

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960258.html

This patent from National Chiao Tung University teaches a method of manufacturing high efficiency thermoelectric cooling devices using p-type and n-type nanowires. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for fabricating a nanoscale thermoelectric device, comprising steps:

(A) providing at least one template having a group of nanoscale pores;

(B) forming a first substrate on a bottom of said template;

(C) injecting a molten semiconductor material into said nanoscale pores with a pressure-casting method in a vacuum environment to form a group of semiconductor nanoscale wires; and

(D) removing said first substrate to obtain a semiconductor nanoscale wire array.

US Patent 7960251 - Producing nanowires using a porous template

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960251.html

This patent from Samsung teaches a way to simplify mass production of vertical nanowire arrays using metal oxide or polymer templates. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for producing nanowires, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a porous template with a plurality of tubes, wherein each tube has an associated hole;

(b) filling the tubes with nanoparticles or nanoparticle precursors; and

(c) forming the filled nanoparticles or nanoparticle precursors into nanowires,

wherein step (c) is carried out by heating the filled nanoparticles or nanoparticle precursors to above the melting point of the nanoparticles or nanoparticle precursors, via electrical resistance heating or mechanical pressurization, to form agglomerates of the nanoparticles or the nanoparticle precursors.

US Patent 7960025 - Magnetic nanoparticle with noble metal core

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7960025.html

This patent teaches applications of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine, as tools for biomolecule recognition, in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, drug-release control, and hyperthermia treatments. Claim 1 reads:

1. Magnetic nanoparticles of noble metals having a size of less than 5 nm, the nanoparticles comprising:

a) a core formed from a noble metal and

b) an anisotropic layer formed from compounds containing at least one metal-sulphur covalent bond wherein the nanoparticles display ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature and a hysteresis cycle, and further wherein the nanoparticles are formed from a non-ferromagnetic precursor noble metal.

US Patent 7959779 - Manipulating SWCNTs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7959779.html

This patent is based on research from Richard Smalley's group at Rice University and has priority from 1996. The claims appear to be basic to sorting mixtures of single walled nanotubes by length, diameter, or chirality which determine semiconductor or metallic characteristics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising:

a) providing a mixture of single-wall carbon nanotubes;

b) cutting the single-wall carbon nanotubes;

c) dispersing the single-wall carbon nanotubes; and

d) fractionating the mixture by a characteristic selected from the group consisting of lengths, diameters, helicities and combinations thereof.

US Patent 7959690 - Nanoparticles for soot reduction

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7959690.html

This patent from the University of Central Florida teaches an oxygen storage composition including nanoparticles to provide vehicular combustion processes with a reduction in soot production and increased efficiency. Claim 1 reads:

1. An efficient system and process for obtaining vehicular fuel efficiency, comprising:

adding an oxygen storage component consisting of a plurality of agglomerate-free, spherical nano-sized particles wherein the particle size is less than approximately 10 nanometers (nm) in diameter to a carrier liquid for the plurality of nano-sized particles to facilitate combustion of fuel;

adding a hydrocarbon fuel to the carrier liquid containing nano-sized particles;

mixing the plurality of nano-sized particles with the carrier liquid and the hydrocarbon fuel by agitating until the plurality of nano-sized particles are suspended uniformly in the hydrocarbon fuel; and

igniting the mixture of hydrocarbon fuel and the uniformly suspended nano-sized particles wherein the mixture is combusted in a vehicular combustion chamber thereby obtaining a reduction in soot and by-products of combustion and an increase in fuel efficiency.

US Patent 7956525 - Nanostructured Flex-electronics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7956525.html

This patent from Nanomix includes some basic claims for nanotube or nanowire transistors formed on a flexible substrate which may be useful to future displays or wide area sensors. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a film of nanostructures supported by the flexible substrate;

a first conducting element in contact with the film of nanostructures;

a second conducting element in contact with the film of nanostructures wherein the film of nanostructures has essentially semiconducting properties; and

a gate electrode in proximity to the film of nanostructures and not in electrical contact with the film of nanostructures;

wherein the flexible substrate is selected from the group consisting of organic molecules, polymers and porous polymers and the gate electrode comprises a conductive nanostructure network.

US Patent 7956427 - Nanowire chemfet

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7956427.html

This patent from Charles Lieber's group at Harvard has priority going back to 2000 and includes some basic claims for nanowire ChemFETs. Claim 1 reads:

1. An article comprising: a field effect transistor comprising a semiconductor nanowire and a polymer material deposited on the semiconductor nanowire.

US Patent 7956108 - Polymer coated nanotubes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7956108.html

This patent has priority going back to May 30, 2003 and includes some basic claims for carbon nanotube-polymer composites. Claim 1 reads:

1. A composite material comprising

nanotubes; and

a polymer matrix wherein the nanotubes and polymer interact in an ordered fashion at an interfacial region so that the polymer wraps around the nanotubes, said region comprising a coating of polymer on the nanotubes in a crystalline or semi crystalline form, the interfacial region being between 5 and 160 nm in width.

US Patent 7955858 - Quantum dot environmental indicators

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955858.html

This patent from Boeing teaches a way to use semiconductor nanocrystal coatings to detect corrosion in aircraft metallic structures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A detection method, comprising:

applying a coating to a substrate;

illuminating the applied coating with a first light having a first predetermined wavelength; and

detecting a second light having a second predetermined wavelength;

wherein the coating comprises a microsphere comprising a quantum dot and a shell surrounding the quantum dot, and the shell is formed of a shell material that reflects the first light; and

wherein the quantum dot is selected to emit the second light when illuminated by the first light; and

wherein the shell material is selected to react in the presence of a corrosive environment to allow the first light to illuminate the quantum dot.

US Patent 7955755 - Metal nanoparticles for fuel cell cathode

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955755.html

This patent from QuantumSphere teaches an improved efficiency fuel cell cathode formed from metal oxide coated metal nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:

1. A direct methanol fuel cell cathode comprising a composition supported on a conductive substrate, the composition comprising:

(i) reactive nano-particles each consisting essentially of (a) a core of metal and/or metal alloy and (b) a shell of an oxide of the metal and/or metal alloy in the core;

(ii) platinum and/or platinum alloy particles devoid of an oxide shell, and

(iii) an ionomer.

US Patent 7955644 - Selective anchoring of nanoscale structures

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955644.html

This patent from the California Institute of Technology discloses a new method of  patterning nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes on a substrate which may have use in fabricating field emission displays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for fastening a plurality of nanoscale structures within an anchoring layer, comprising acts of:

providing a first fluid layer on an anchoring substrate;

providing a plurality of nanostructures on a growth substrate on which the nanostructures were grown, the nanostructures each having a defined height and orientation with respect to the growth substrate; and

introducing the plurality of nanostructures to a desired depth in the first fluid layer, such that the orientation of the nanostructures relative to the growth substrate is substantially maintained.

US Patent 7955614 - Nanopore device for sustained release of therapeutic agent

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955614.html

This patent is from Delpor Inc. and includes some very basic claims to nanoporous membranes used in drug delivery. Claim 1 reads:

1. A drug delivery device, comprising:

a capsule for implantation into the body, wherein said capsule comprises a fluid impermeable wall defining a reservoir for containing a substance said wall comprising at least one port; and

a nanopore membrane in communication with said port, said membrane having pores dimensioned to control the rate of diffusion of said substance from said capsule.

US Patent 7955570 - Nanoporous particles using catalytically active gold

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955570.html


This patent from 3M teaches a gold nanocatalyst system useful for the conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide with low pressure drop reaction. Claim 1 reads:

1. A catalyst system, comprising:

a) a fluid conduit having an inner surface defining at least a portion of a flow-through channel; and

b) a plurality of nanoporous particles provided on at least a portion of the inner surface,

wherein a catalyst is provided on the particles, the catalyst comprising a plurality of gold clusters having a size in the range of about 0.5 nm to about 50 nm.

US Patent 7955562 - Nanowire crossbar chemical sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955562.html

Nanowire crossbar electronic architectures have been proposed for a variety of high density memory arrays, logic structures, and analog processors. This patent from Samsung includes some basic claims in which a nanowire crossbar architecture is used to achieve a high sensitivity chemical sensor. Claim 1 reads: 

1. A chemical sensor comprising:

a first electrode on a substrate;

a sensing member covering the first electrode on the substrate; and

a plurality of second electrodes on a surface of the sensing member exposing the surface of the sensing member, wherein the first electrode includes a plurality of nanowires.

US Patent 7955559 - CNT nanoelectronic electrochemical testing

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955559.html

This patent from Nanomix teaches one method using carbon nanotubes for detecting and measuring blood glucose for the diagnosis of diabetes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of immobilizing a biomolecule for sensing a target species on a substrate to fabricate a nanosensor device for sensing the target species, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of carbon nanotubes and a quantity of a biomolecule configured to interact with the target species in an aqueous solution;

dispersing the plurality of nanotubes and at least some of the quantity of the biomolecule to thereby create a stable suspension of nanotubes and biomolecules in the aqueous solution;

providing a substrate surface having an electrode surface thereon; and

simultaneously depositing nanotubes and biomolecules from the stable suspension to at least the electrode surface to thereby immobilize the biomolecules on the substrate.

US Patent 7955535 - MWNT macroscale films

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955535.html

This patent from the University of Florida teaches a method of forming flexible films of multiwall carbon nanotubes without requiring chemical bonding agents. Claim 1 reads:


1. A method for making a macroscale film, comprising the steps of:

forming a suspension which comprises a mixture of (i) single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) and (ii) multiwall nanotubes (MWNTs) or carbon nanofibers (CNFs), or both MWNTs and CNFs, dispersed in a liquid, wherein the weight ratio of SWNTs to MWNTs, CNFs, or both MWNTs and CNFs in the suspension is 1:3; and

removing the liquid to form a macroscale film which comprises MWNTs, CNFs or a combination thereof, interspersed with SWNTs.

US Patent 7955483 - CNT glucose sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7955483.html

This patent from Honeywell teaches how carbon nanotubes can be useful for the diagnosis of diabetes. Claim 1 reads:


1. A micro-sized biosensor comprising:

a micro-sized substrate;

two or more conductive platforms, in contact with the substrate;

a plurality of carbon nanotubes, in contact with the platforms and bridging the platforms sufficient to form a layer;

a bonding layer, non-continuously positioned on the layer of carbon nanotubes; and

a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in contact with the bonding layer, the SAM comprising groups of the formula —R—X wherein R is an organic linking moiety containing a fluorophore and X is a binding moiety that, upon interaction with an analyte, gives rise to both a detectable light signal and alters the conductive properties of the plurality of carbon nanotubes, conductive platforms or both in an aqueous environment.

US Patent 7954166 - Independently addressable DPN arrays

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7954166.html

This latest patent from the founders of NanoInk teaches methods to prevent cross-contamination between arrays of Dip Pen Nanolithography (R) tips. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising:

providing at least one array of tips;

providing at least two patterning compositions different from each other;

ink jet printing at least two of the different patterning compositions onto at least some of the tips; and depositing at least some of the ink jet printed patterning compositions onto a substrate surface;

wherein the array of tips and the ink jet printing are adapted to prevent substantial cross-contamination of the patterning composition on the tips.

US Patent 7952212 - Nanoparticle filler for IC packaging

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7952212.html

IC packaging can suffer from delamination problems due to the high heat flux from microprocessors. This patent from Intel teaches concentrating nanoparticles in regions susceptible to delamination in order to provide a self-healing effect. Claim 1 reads:

1. An apparatus comprising:

a package including an integrated circuit, the package further including one or more regions of adjoining materials of different composition wherein one of the materials includes a polymeric material that includes a polymer matrix having at least one high energy region; and

a mobile nanoparticle filler dispersed substantially throughout the polymer matrix with an increased concentration in the high energy region.

US Patent 7952111 - Nanoparticle filler for LED die

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7952111.html

LEDs are more preferred for modern illumination due to their long life and brightness but have a drawback of uneven light intensity. This patent from Foxconn teaches using nanoparticles to enhance dispersion of light. Claim 1 reads:

1. An LED, comprising:

an LED die for emitting light; and

a packaging layer encapsulating the LED die, the packaging layer comprising a plurality of fillers distributed therein, each of the fillers having a plurality of nano-particles distributed therein for enhancing a light dispersion of light generated by the LED die.

US Patent 7952088 - Multigate graphene transistor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7952088.html

Modern transistor design are turning toward multigate structures to overcome current leakage and other effects of nanoscale miniaturization. This patent from IBM includes some basic claims for multigate transistor designs in which graphene is used for the channel material. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate having a dielectric layer;

at least one graphene layer overlying the dielectric layer;

a back gate structure underlying the at least one graphene layer; and

a semiconductor-containing layer present on the at least one graphene layer, the semiconductor-containing layer including a source region and a drain region separated by an upper gate structure, wherein the upper gate structure is positioned overlying the back gate structure.

US Patent 7951976 - Nano zinc oxide catalyst

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7951976.html

This patent from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology teaches a nanoscale catalyst  useful in the synthesis of a solvent called methyl isobutyl ketone. Claim 1 reads:

1. A catalyst, comprising:

a platinum group metal;

a metal oxide; and

a nano-zinc oxide.

US Patent 7951864 - Polymer nanocomposites

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7951864.html

This patent is from the University of Houston and teaches a polymer-CNT composite with improved nanotube dispersion provided by a lithium-based anionic surfactant. Claim 1 reads:

1. A composite, comprising:

a matrix comprising a polyether;

a dispersion aid, wherein the dispersion aid comprises a lithium-based anionic surfactant; and

a plurality of pristine nanotubes, wherein the plurality of pristine nanotubes is dispersed in the polyether.

US Patent 7951744 - Nano-reagents with cooperative catalysis

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7951744.html

Pharmaceutical and chemical processing often requires artificial catalysts that can mimic biological functions and which can be reused. This patent from Southern Illinois University Carbondale includes some basic claims to a nanoscale catalyst providing such biomimetic capability. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanocatalyst comprising at least one individual amino acid attached to a nanoparticle, wherein each individual amino acid is independently attached to the nanoparticle and has a reactive side chain that catalyzes a chemical reaction.