US Patent 8182917 - Reduced graphene oxide film

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8182917.html

This patent is based on research conducted by the U.S. Navy and teaches producing a large area of thin film graphene oxide which is chemically reduced to produce a molecular sensing device. Claim 1 reads:

1. A film comprising overlapping platelets of reduced graphene oxide; wherein the film is from about 1 nm to about 100 nm thick; and wherein the film is in contact with a contoured substrate such that portions of the film are suspended above the substrate.

US Patent 7896990 - Burn rate nanotube modifier

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7896990.html

This patent is based on U.S. Naval research into using carbon nanotubes to create high energy explosives. Claim 1 reads:

1. A process for producing a burn rate modifier, comprising:

providing a chemical composition from an energetic material;

forming nanotubular structures from said chemical composition, wherein said forming comprises composing at least one of said nanotubular structures from said energetic material where said energetic material is a melt processible energetic material; and,

incorporating said nanotubular structures into an energetic composition for alignment of the nanotubular structures with a direction of an increased burn rate of the energetic composition.

US Patent 7776269 - Capacitive nanoelectrode sensor

http://ip.com/patent/US7776269

Carbon nanotubes have been used to construct chemiresistors which detect chemical species based on changes in resistance. However, sensing resistance of nanotube arrays is subject to noise, slow recovery and contact effects. This patent from U.S. Naval Research teaches the alternative of a capacitive chemical nanotube sensor to avoid these problems. Claim 1 reads:

1. A sensing device comprising:

a bottom electrode;

a dielectric layer on the bottom electrode;

a grid of nanoelectrodes on and parallel to the dielectric layer; a top electrode in electrical contact with the grid; and

a capacitance meter electrically connected to the top electrode and the bottom electrode.