Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing

Rice pioneers method for processing carbon nanotubes in bulk fluids

		IMAGE: The liquid-crystaline phase of carbon nanotubes dissolved in chlorosulfonic acid. Click here for more information.

HOUSTON -- (Nov. 2, 2009) -- Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale processing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. The result of a nine-year program, the method builds upon tried-and-true processes that chemical firms have used for decades to produce plastics. The research is available online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.