US Patent 8202817 - Nanohorn aggregate

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8202817.html

Sumio Iijima of NEC is most famous for his analysis of carbon nanotube structures in the early 1990's but his most recent patents involve another carbon nanostructure called nanohorns for use as catalysts in fuel cells. This latest patent covers nanohorns supported on petal-shaped graphene sheets. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanocarbon aggregate comprising:

a graphite aggregate including one or a plurality of graphene sheets and having a petal shape as a whole; and

a plurality of nanohorns supported on said petal-shaped graphite aggregate.

US Patent 8168964 - High speed, low power graphene FET

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8168964.html

This patent from NEC teaches a graphene-based transistor in which the electrodes, the channel, and the interconnections are all formed from graphene providing simpler manufacture and ease of integration of multiple transistors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor device using a field effect, comprising:

a channel layer formed of semiconductor graphene;

electrode layers formed of metal graphene for a source, a drain, and a gate, the electrode layers serving as interconnections; and

a gate insulating layer for insulating the channel layer and the gate electrode layer from each other, wherein the channel layer and the electrode layers are located on the same plane;

wherein, the semiconductor graphene has an armchair edge with a width of 20 nm or less while the metal graphene has a zigzag edge with a width of 20 nm or less.

US Patent 8119094 - Carbon nanohorn for fluorine storage

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8119094.html


For synthesis of UF₆ in uranium enrichment in energy industries, fluorine gas has been used on a mass scale for a long period of time. However, fluorine gas has extremely high reactivity and corrosiveness which makes storage a difficult problem. This patent is based on research from Sumio Iijima (often credited as the discoverer of carbon nanotubes in 1991) and teaches how carbon nanohorns may be useful for storing fluorine gas. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of taking out fluorine gas by heating a fluorinated carbon nanohorn in a pressure-reduced hydrogen atmosphere of 0.5 kPa or less.

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 7545241 - Nanoparticle transmission line

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7545241.html

This patent from NEC teaches improved frequency independence of transmission line elements used to couple large scale integrated circuits of computers by using conductive nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microstrip line having at least a dielectric layer and a conductor layer disposed in order on a first electrode layer, said microstrip line characterized in that said dielectric layer is formed by oxidizing, nitriding, or oxynitriding said first electrode layer, and said conductor layer comprises at least conductive nanoparticles and a binder resin.

US Patent 7535786 - Carbon nanohorn drug delivery

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7537786.html

Sumio Iijima of NEC published the basic paper on carbon nanotubes which launched research on these materials. Now it appears the interest is on a noe form of carbon nanomaterial called nanohorns. This patent includes some basic claims to using carbon nanohorns for drug delivery. Claim 1 reads:

1. A complex of drug and carbon nanohorns, which complex comprises a metal-containing anti-cancer drug being adsorbed onto or included in oxidized porous carbon nanohorns.

US Patent 7501024 - Carbon nanohorn production

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7501024.html

Sumio Iijima is usually credited as the first to discover (or at least properly characterize) carbon nanotubes. This patent from Iijima's group teaches an apparatus for manufacturing a related type of carbon nanostructure called carbon nanohorns. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon nanohorn producing apparatus comprising:

a target holding unit which holds a graphite target;

a light source which irradiates a surface of said graphite target with light, said light source being a laser beam source, and an irradiation angle of a laser beam emitted by the laser beam source is from 30° to 6°;

a cooling unit which cools carbon vapor vaporized from said graphite target by said light irradiation; and a recovery unit which recovers said carbon vapor cooled by the cooling unit to obtain a carbon nanohorn, wherein said recovery unit includes a recovery chamber and recovery pipe which introduces said carbon vapor to said recovery chamber, and said cooling unit is configured to cool at least inside of said recovery pipe.

US Patent 7443720 - Quantum state readout using cooper pair boxes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7443720.html

Cooper pairs refer to an attraction of two electrons that occurs in superconductive material at low temperature. This attraction makes electrons behave more like photons and are what produce the effects of zero resistance and magnetic field expulsion which characterize superconductivity. This patent based on a collaboration of Riken and NEC teaches the use of Cooper pair boxes to readout multiple states in a quantum computer. Claim 1 reads:

1. A quantum-state readout circuit comprising:

two Cooper pair boxes;

two capacitors that are coupled to the two Cooper pair boxes, respectively; and

reading means that is coupled to the capacitors and that comprises a single-electron transistor, wherein the two capacitors coupled to the two Cooper pair boxes have capacitances that are different from each other.

US Patent 7323246 - Carbon nanohorn aggregate

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7323246.html

This patent from Sumio Iijima (often credited as the discoverer of carbon nanotubes) focuses on related carbon nanohorn structures which may have improved electron emission properties due to the tip arrangement. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nano horn carrier, wherein two or more carbon nano horn aggregates are bonded by heat treatment at a temperature range from 1200° C. to 2000° C. and mutually carried.

US Patent 7261941 - Carbon nanohorn with directed tip

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7261941.html

Carbon nanotubes aggregates having conical tips are referred to as carbon nanohorns. This patent from NEC teaches a carbon nanohorn with a acute angle directed tip for improved uses in applications such as carbon based electron emission. Sumio Iijima, who is credited as having first recognized carbon nanotubes in 1991, is noted as a co-inventor. Claim 1 reads:

1. An acute closed tip, multi-wall carbon nanotube radial aggregate, which includes a plurality of acute tip, multi-wall carbon nanotubes which each have one sharp, acute angled-end and are radially aggregated with the acute tip portion thereof being disposed outward.

US Patent 7209341 - Carbon nanohorn supercapacitor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7209341.html

While carbon nanotubes are by far the more common nanostructure, other carbon nanostructures such as carbon nanohorns may have some advantages in achieving higher surface area to volume ratios, which is particularly advantage in forming electrodes for supercapacitors. This patent from NEC claims:

1. A polarizing electrode composed of a carbon composite: wherein, as a carbon material of said carbon composite, a single-layer carbon nanohorn aggregate, which is made in such a manner that the single-layer carbon nanohorns are aggregated spherically, is used; and wherein said single-layer carbon nanohorn aggregate is supported by a carbon fiber or a carbon nanofiber.