US Patent 7935276 - Polymers incorporating carbon nanospheres

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7935276.html

The high aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes can make uniform dispersion into polymers difficult. This patent from Headwaters Technology Innovation teaches using multiwall carbon nanospheres which may reduce this difficulty. Claim 1 reads:

1. A composite material comprising:

a polymeric material comprising a polymer or a polymerizable material; and

a plurality of carbon nanospheres dispersed in the polymeric material, wherein the carbon nanospheres comprise at least about 0.1% by weight of the composite material, wherein the carbon nanospheres comprise hollow, multi-walled particles having multiple graphitic layers with an outer diameter of less than about 1 micron, wherein the carbon nanospheres have an absence of surface functional groups.

US Patent 7670588 - Hydrogen storage with carbon nanospheres

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7670588.html

Fullerene molecules have been suggested for fuel cell hydrogen storage for several years. This patent from Headwaters Technology Innovation teaches a multilayer fullerene structure for improving the amount of hydrogen that can be stored. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for storing hydrogen comprising:

providing a carbon nanomaterial comprising a plurality of multi-walled carbon nanospheres, the carbon nanospheres having an average outer diameter in a range from about 10 nm to about 200 nm, an aspect ratio of less than 3:1, and an irregularly-shaped surface with graphitic defects; and

exposing the plurality of carbon nanospheres to hydrogen under conditions that allow at least 1 wt % hydrogen to absorb to the carbon nanomaterial.