US Patent 8044866 - Optically reconfigurable CNT RF antenna

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8044866.html

This patent from Boeing teaches how carbon nanotubes can be used to reconfigure RF antennas so as to make them resistant to electromagnetic attack and enable easy change of frequency and direction of operation without adding complex electronics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method to electronically steer an antenna's direction of radiation, the method comprising:

providing a surface-conformal reflector that comprises an array of addressable optical media that illuminate carbon nanotubes;

radiating a radio frequency signal from a transmitter in the direction of the reflector; and

selectively addressing the optical media with one or more optical signals to illuminate the carbon nanotubes and switch a state of the carbon nanotubes between their non-metallic states and metallic states to alter a reflection of the radiated radio frequency signal.

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 7948147 - Stretchable silicon sensor network

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7948147.html

This patent from Boeing teaches a system to monitor the structural integrity of airframes, bridges, buildings, etc. based on zinc oxide nanowires grown in a stretchable silicon template. Claim 1 reads:

1. A sensor network comprising:

a stretchable silicon substrate; and

a plurality of nodes fabricated on said stretchable silicon substrate, said nodes comprising an energy harvesting and storage element comprising zinc oxide nanowires grown on said stretchable silicon substrate, and at least one of a communication device, a sensing device, and a processor, said nodes interconnected via interconnecting conductors formed in said substrate.

US Patent 7925452 - Corrosion detection using quantum dots

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7925452.html


This patent from Boeing teaches a method of detecting corrosion in aircraft parts using semiconductor nanocrystals. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for non-destructive detection of corrosion using quantum dots, the method comprising:

testing, by a number of quantum dot detectors operably coupled to a data processing system, a surface on a commodity associated with a set of quantum dots to form a test area;

detecting, by a processor of the data processing system, a pattern of wavelengths emitted by the set of quantum dots associated with the test area of the commodity to form a quantum dot pattern, wherein the set of quantum dots emits different colored lights in different sets of patterns of wavelengths; identifying, by the processor, an intensity of wavelengths in the pattern of wavelengths emitted by the set of quantum dots;

analyzing, by the processor, the quantum dot pattern to determine whether corrosion has occurred in the test area, wherein the set of quantum dots emit an expected pattern in the absence of corrosion, and wherein the corrosion changes the expected pattern; and

determining, by the processor, an amount and a severity of corrosion in the test area of the commodity based on the quantum dot pattern and the intensity of the wavelengths.

US Patent 7897876 - CNT/graphene-enhanced electrical wire

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7897876.html

A problem with using carbon nanotubes to form conductive wires is that the viscosity of CNT/polymer composites makes processing difficult. This patent from Boeing teaches coating instead of dispersing CNTs in a conductive wire to make processing easier. Claim 1 reads:

1. A conductor comprising:

an aramid fiber; and

at least one layer attached about said aramid fiber, said at least one layer comprising at least one of aligned carbon nanotubes and graphene platelets.

US Patent 7875801 - CNT-enhanced thermoplastic conductive wire

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7875801.html

In order to fabricate conductive polymer wires carbon nanotubes has been used as a doping material. However, if the concentration of nanotubes is too high the polymer becomes too viscous for ease in processing. This patent from Boeing teaches a manufacturing solution for CNT polymer wires aiming to avoid this problem.

1. A conductive wire comprising:

a plurality of thermoplastic filaments each comprising a surface; and

a coating material comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes dispersed therein,

said coating material bonded to said surface of each thermoplastic filament,

said thermoplastic filaments bundled and bonded to each other to form a substantially cylindrical conductor.

US Patent 7854997 - Cobalt-nickel nanoparticles for adhesive

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7854997.html

This patent from Boeing takes advantage of the high surface area of nanoparticle materials to improve the effectiveness of adhesives used in metal bonding. Claim 1 reads:

1. A metallic substrate comprising a precipitate-coated surface, the precipitate-coated surface comprising:

a precipitate, the precipitate comprising nanoparticulates, a first portion of the nanoparticulates adheres to a surface of the metallic substrate and a second portion of the nanoparticulates is in contact with the first portion of nanoparticulates;

wherein the metallic substrate comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy; and

wherein the precipitate comprises clusters of cobalt-nickel nanoparticulates, the cobalt-nickel nano particulates in a size range from about 50 nm to about 1000 nm.