US Patent 8007908 - Single walled carbon nanohorn adsorptive material

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8007908.html

Sumio Iijima of NEC is frequently given credit for the discovery and analysis of carbon nanotubes in 1991. More recently Iijima has been studying carbon "nanohorn" material having superior adsorptive properties. This patents teaches a carbon nanohorn material useful for storing methane gas for energy and enviromental applications. Claim 1 reads:

1. A single walled carbon nanohorn adsorptive material having methane absorptivity, wherein a lanthanide metal is deposited on a single walled carbon nanohorn.

US Patent 7902089 - Manufacture of n-type nanotube

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7902089.html

Carbon nanotubes tend to exhibit p-type semiconductive behavior due to adsorbed oxygen. This patent from Japanese researchers teaches a way to convert these nanotubes to n-type. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for manufacturing a channel for an n-type transistor, wherein the method comprises:

forming a film of a nitrogenous compound directly on a nanotube-shaped structure exhibiting p-type semiconductive properties using a thermal CVD technique, at a temperature of said nanotube-shaped structure of 500° C. or higher and 1600° C. or lower; and

changing a nanotube-shaped structure exhibiting p-type semiconductive properties to said nanotube-shaped structure exhibiting n-type semiconductive properties.

US Patent 7879309 - Preparation of metal containing fullerenes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7879309.html

This patent from the Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches methods of peeling excess layers of carbon nanotubes to promote higher industrial yield of single walled nanotubes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of making a functional nanomaterial utilizing endothermic reactions, comprising

heat-treating a metal containing monolayer nanotube in a gas or liquid containing an endothermic reactant to cut or disintegrate the metal containing monolayer nanotube into metal containing fullerenes, thereby forming a metal containing fullerene.

US Patent 7803346 - Method of selecting CNT structure through photoirradiation

http://ip.com/patent/US7803346

This is the latest patent from the researcher (Sumio Iijima) often credited with the discovery of carbon nanotubes and teaches a way to isolate CNTs of a single diameter. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for selecting single-walled carbon nanotubes of 1.2 nm diameter from a mixture of single-walled carbon nanotubes of various diameters, comprising irradiating the mixture of single-walled carbon nanotubes of various diameters with a light beam of a single wavelength of 620 nm under an oxidative environment to obtain single-walled carbon nanotubes of 1.2 nm diameter.

US Patent 7785472 - Structure-selective separation of CNTs

http://ip.com/patent/US7785472

This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a way to take advantage of the correlation between the structure-sensitive electronic energy level of a carbon nanotube and the redox potential of a metal to sort nanotubes based on diameter and chirality. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of separating, concentrating, or refining a carbon nanotube having a desired physical property from a sample solution, wherein the desired physical property includes at least one of a diameter or a chiral vector, the method comprising:

a) irradiating light to the sample solution containing carbon nanotubes in the presence of metal ions, so that the metal ions are respectively reduced and deposited on the carbon nanotubes, and

b) selecting the carbon nanotubes having the desired physical property by applying a predetermined magnetic field or chromatography to the carbon nanotubes so as to precipitate the carbon nanotubes with the desired physical property.

US Patent 7772157 - High critical current density superconducting film

http://ip.com/patent/US7772157

This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency is based on the finding that the formation of nanogrooves in a superconducting film can increase the critical current density at which superconductivity   holds. Claim 1 reads:

1. A superconducting film comprising:

a substrate having a surface;

a superconductor layer formed on said surface of the substrate;

nano grooves formed in said substrate, the nano grooves having a defined width and defining a current flowing direction when current flows through the superconductor layer;

rows of defect inducing parts formed in the nano grooves; and

two-dimensional crystal defects in the superconductor layer on the defect inducing parts.

US Patent 7750285 - Photoconductive CNT optical sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7750285.html

This patent from Japanese researchers teaches a way to use carbon nanotubes to construct photosensors and integrate them with field effect transistors. Claim 1 reads:

1. An optical sensor characterized by comprising:

a photoconductive material layer, which generates a carrier inside when irradiated with a light or an electromagnetic wave, and

a transparent or translucent insulating layer formed on said photoconductive material layer, and

a carbon nanotube formed on said insulating layer, and

electrodes connected to opposite ends of said carbon nanotube, wherein;

said photoconductive material layer is irradiated with said light or electromagnetic wave through said transparent or translucent insulating layer;

a predetermined voltage is applied between said two electrodes, and said carrier, which is generated within said photoconductive material layer by irradiation of said light or electromagnetic wave, is sensed through change of electrical conduction of said carbon nanotube.

US Patent 7728284 - Polarized optical nanotweezers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7728284.html

Two of the primary techniques used to manipulate individual nanoparticles are atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers. This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a method of using optical tweezers on groups of quantum dots. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manipulating nanosize objects, said method comprising:

illuminating nanosize objects with light resonant with an electronic excitation level of the nanosize objects to induce force being exerted on the nanosize objects from the resonant light for manipulation of the nanosize objects, wherein:

the resonant light illuminates a collection of nanosize objects;

the resonant light is changed in polarization to control mechanical interaction of the nanosize objects; and

the resonant light is changed in polarization so as to excite resonance energy of closely positioned nanosize objects to a level below resonance energy of a single nanosize object.

US Patent 7662731 - Q-dot manipulation in superfluid

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7662731.html

This patent is from Japan Science and Technology Agency and teaches a way to manipulate and sort quantum dots using a system similar to optical tweezers in a superfluid environment and which may be useful to experiments in quantum computing. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manipulating a plurality of quantum dots that differ in at least one of size, shape and internal structure in a superfluid helium, said method comprising:

generating a plurality of quantum dots directly in the superfluid helium;

shining light onto said plurality of quantum dots generated in the superfluid helium;

selecting, using said light, specific quantum dots from said plurality of quantum dots, said specific quantum dots being in resonance with said light; and

manipulating, using said light, only said specific quantum dots being in resonance with said light.

US Patent 7534999 - Quantum beam aided atomic force microscope

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7534999.html

The atomic force microscope is a fundamental tool to determine the shapes and profiles of nanostructures however it is limited in its ability to perform the chemical analysis of nanostructures. This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a modification of the AFM in which irradiation of a sample is used prior to AFM imaging to provide chemical state analysis. Claim 1 reads:

1. A quantum beam aided atomic force microscopy, comprising the steps of:

irradiating atoms of a sample surface with quantum beams such as photons, electrons and charged particles having a given electron transition energy characteristic of element; and

detecting the change in interaction force between each of said atoms of said sample surface irradiated with said quantum beams and a distal end of a probe.

US Patent 7531114 - CNT ionic liquid gel

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7531114.html

This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a new carbon nanotube composite structure providing reduced damage to carbon nanotube bundles during processing. Claim 1 reads:

1. A gel composition formed by a method which comprises pulverizing carbon nanotubes by applying a shearing force to a mixture consisting of carbon nanotubes and an ionic liquid, wherein the ionic liquid is a salt which assumes a molten state at or very near room temperature.

US Patent 7459673 - Atomtronic switch with neutral atoms

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7459673.html

Most engineers and scientists are familiar with the basic concepts of electronics and photonics which respectively attempt to create amplifying and switching circuits using electron transport and photon transport. Atomtronics is a more obscure way to create circuitry providing effects similar to superconductors and which may provide a path to quantum computing. Some early work in this area was done by Don Eigler of IBM and researchers at Hitachi and Stanford in atomic chain networks. This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches an atomtronic switch formed using neutral atoms. Claim 1 reads:

1. An atomic device using a neutral particle which is a neutral atom or a neutral molecule, comprising:

a first pair of electrodes provided at positions on a substrate with a trapping position disposed therebetween, and along a first axis passing through the trapping position, the trapping position being defined at a predetermined position on the substrate, and

a second pair of electrodes provided at positions on the substrate with the trapping position disposed therebetween, and along a second axis provided at a predetermined angle to the first axis and passing through the trapping position,

wherein the atomic device switches between a first state and a second state alternately to trap a neutral particle at the trapping position, one of the electrodes of the first pair of electrodes being set at a positive potential with respect to a reference potential and the other electrode being set at a negative potential in the first state, one of the electrodes of the second pair of electrodes being set at a positive potential with respect to the reference potential and the other electrode being set at a negative potential in the second state.

US Patent 7381465 - Etchable core nanoparticle surrounded by non-etchable shell

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7381465.html

In order to promote chemical reactions often porous materials such as zeolites are used in applications such as water purification and crude oil processing. To improve the reactivity of some reactions it has been proposed to arrange nanopores close to catalytic nanoparticles. This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a new type of material with an photoetchable nanoparticle (such as CdS) surround by SiO films resistant to photoetching and to create a void within the CdS. Claim 1 reads:


1. A core-shell structure having a void space of predetermined size inside a shell, comprising:

a core comprising nanoparticles, said core is a photoetchable solid;

a shell coating said core, said shell is a non-photoetchable material; and

a void space defined by a space between said core and said shell, wherein said predetermined size of said void space is 1 nm to about 50 nm in diameter.

US Patent 7374613 - High density quantum wire device

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7374613.html

This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a new way to form high density quantum wire devices using dislocations in ceramics or metals formed via compressions and heat treatment. Claim 1 reads:

1. A quantum wire device comprising a single-crystal material made of ceramic or metal, said single-crystal material internally having dislocations arranged one-dimensionally on respective straight lines at a high density of 106 to 1014/cm2, and quantum wires consisting of metal atoms introduced in said single-crystal material through a diffusion treatment, said quantum wires being arranged along said corresponding dislocations at a high density of 106 to 1014/cm2.

US Patent 7315106 - Gel laminate actuator formed from carbon nanotubes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7315106.html

This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency teaches a new type of polymer actuator which can be used in air at low voltages and can be used in micromachines. Claim 1 reads:

1. An actuator element, comprising: a first electrode layer comprising a first gel film comprising carbon nanotubes, an ionic liquid and a polymer; an ion-conductive layer comprising a second gel film comprising the ionic liquid and the polymer, formed on the first electrode; and a second electrode layer comprising a third gel film comprising carbon nanotubes, the ionic liquid and the polymer, formed on the ion-conductive layer, the second electrode layer being insulated from the first electrode layer; the actuator element being capable of being flexed or deformed by creating a potential difference between the electrode layers.

US Patent 7172747 - Double Helix Metal Oxide Nanotube

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7172747.pdf

Nanoparticulate materials have attracted much interest in the area of hydrogen storage (useful for fuel cells) due to the high surface to volume ratio of these materials. This patent from Japan Science and Technology Agency claims a newly discovered nanomaterial in the form of a double helix nanotube made of metal oxide material. Claim 1 reads:

1. A metal oxide nanotube consisting solely of a metal oxide that may contain hydroxyl groups, which is constructed in a double spiral and a hollow cylinder and has a hole diameter distribution containing two peak hole diameters ranging from 1 to 2 nm and from 3 to 7 nm.