Sorting out semitubes
Semiconducting carbon nanotubes can be doped like silicon, and are one of the favourite candidate materials for replacing current semiconductors. A nanotube is about 1/500th the size of a current transistor and has excellent electrical properties. Today’s production methods create a mixture of nanotubes with both semiconducting and metallic properties that makes them expensive and difficult to use.
The Oxford invention is a technique for purifying samples of carbon nanotubes to remove both general metallic and graphitic contamination. A product containing more than 90% semiconducting nanotubes can already be produced.
Further increases in the proportion of semiconducting nanotubes in the final product are expected as development continues. The technology can be used for both single- and multi-walled nanotubes.
The technology is the subject of a patent application and is available for licensing. Isis would like to talk to companies interested in exploiting the commercial opportunity that this breakthrough represents.
