Carbon Nanostructures Process

About

Background Carbon can form various types of allotropes including diamond, graphite, fullerene-like structures, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanoonions. Research in carbon nanostructures has increased substantially due to their versatile physicchemical properties. Carbon nanostructures are known to exhibit a wide variety of optical, electrical, electronic, mechanical, kinetic, thermal and chemical properties and have been employed as conductors, capacitors, semi-conductors, gas storage means and gas separation means. Carbon nanostructures have shown potential in being exploited as an effective gas storage and separation means. Furthermore, there has been developments in utilizing carbon nanostructures as field effect transistors, electromechanical random access memory and in materials science where they are employed in many industries in the making of bicycle frames, tennis racquets, tennis balls, golf clubs and protective gear used by armed and security forces. The technology developed is a cost effective and novel microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) process in order to produce nanostructures, particularly carbon nanostructures of a relatively high quality and yield in relation to other techniques. Applications & Market Opportunities Different forms of the nanostructured carbon material can be applied to support new solutions to challenges in energy storage and water treatment. Their structure, as well as the unique electrical, magnetic, and optic characteristics have generated a huge potential of industrial and scientific applications. The fields of carbon nanostructure applications include: photo-electric elements, electric elements, biomedical science, energy materials, and artificial diamonds. Stage of Development Applied Research. IP Status South African patent (2011/03610) Profiles of The Inventors Leigh Jarvis PhD Electronic Engineering Academic Leader of Research in the School of Engineering Areas of expertise: Superconductivity; material science. Another more recent focus is nano-technology. He has a patent for a unique fabrication technique in producing nanocarbon material and is currently fabricating graphene (a plane of carbon atoms one atom thick) for fuel cells and supercapacitors applications. Collaboration Sought Research Collaboration/Industry Partner/Funders.