Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
~ an allotrope of carbon
~ take the form of cylindrical carbon molecules
~ have novel properties making them useful in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science
~ exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties
~ are efficient conductors of heat
~ inorganic nanotubes have also been synthesized
~ are members of the fullerene structural family, which also includes buckyballs which are spherical in shape
~ is cylindrical, with at least one end typically capped with a hemisphere of the buckyball structure
~ name is derived from their size; the diameter of a nanotube is on the order of a few nanometers, ca. 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair
~ they can be up to several millimeters in length
~ there are two main types of nanotubes: single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs)

»Nantero
~ NRAM™ will be considerably faster and denser than DRAM
~ have substantially lower power consumption than DRAM or flash
~ be as portable as flash memory
~ be highly resistant to environmental forces (heat, cold, magnetism)
~ as a nonvolatile chip, it will provide permanent data storage even without power
~ possible uses include the enabling of instant-on computers, as well as high-density portable memory
~ MP3 players with 1000s of songs, PDAs with 10 gigabytes of memory, high-speed network servers ...
~ carbon nanotubes are used as the active memory elements
~ carbon nanotubes are members of the fullerene family and have amazing properties,
~ including the ability to conduct electricity as well as copper
~ while being stronger than steel and as hard as diamond
~ the wall of a single-walled carbon nanotube is only one carbon atom thick
~ the tube diameter is approximately 100,000 times smaller than a human hair
~ nanotubes are integrated with traditional semiconductor technologies for immediate manufacturability
~ Nantero makes available engineering services at a rate of $190 per hour for supporting Nantero licensees and companies integrating nanotubes
~ partners include BAE Systems

»NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Carbon Nanotube Manufacturing Technology Wins Nano 50 Award
~ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.'s method for manufacturing high-quality carbon nanotubes (CNT)
~ has been named a winner in the third annual Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 awards in the Technology category
~ the Nano 50 awards recognize the top 50 technologies, products, and innovators
~ that have significantly impacted (or are expected to impact) the state of the art in nanotechnology
~ the panel of experts at Nanotech Briefs magazine
~ Goddard's Innovative Partnership Program (IPP) Office
~ retired Goddard innovator, Jeannette Benavides presented her award-winning technology at NNEC 2007
~ until recently, CNT use has been limited due to the complex, dangerous, and expensive methods for their production
~ Benavides's technology represents a simpler, safer, and much less expensive manufacturing method
~ the key innovation in the process patented by NASA Goddard is its ability to produce bundles of CNTs without using a metal catalyst
~ most single-walled CNT (SWCNT) manufacturing methods-chemical vapor deposition, laser ablation, microwave,
~ and high-pressure carbon monoxide conversion-use a metal catalyst to encourage carbon to grow in nanotube form without capping
~ because Goddard's process does not use a metal catalyst,
~ no metal particles need to be removed from the final product,
~ yielding a significantly better product in terms of quality and purity at a dramatically lower cost
~ given their level of purity, the high-quality SWCNTs made using Benavides's discovery are particularly well suited for medical applications,
~ where metal particles cannot be present, as well as applications
~ where high strength and electrical conductivity are desired, since high purity enhances these characteristics
~ they can be used in other applications as well
~ SWCNTs made with this process could be integrated into a polymer to result in a fiberglass-type material
~ that is as strong as steel but with one-sixth the weight
~ the commercial impact of this discovery is said to clearly demonstrate by the market's significant interest in the technology
~ Goddard has licensed the technology to Idaho Space Materials, Nanotailor, E-City NanoTechnologies
~ all of which were founded specifically to manufacture SWCNTs using Goddard's technology
~ Goddard also licensed the technology to American GFM (manufacturer)
~ academic and other research programs get access to lower cost CNTs bodes
~ Dr. Benavides said to not only worked hard to develop the technology, but also haveing been very involved in the technology transfer process
~ the IPP Office's Darryl Mitchell led the licensing efforts for NASA Goddard


»Goddard Space Flight Center
»Innovative Partnership Program Office

» Nanotailor
~ started based upon the inability of nanotechnology integrators to purchase high quality SWCNTs having consistent purity with predictable leadtimes.