US 11,857,926 B2
Nanocarbon separation apparatus and nanocarbon separation method
Fumiyuki Nihey, Tokyo (JP); Yuki Kuwahara, Tsukuba (JP); Takeshi Saito, Tsukuba (JP); and Fusako Sasaki, Tsukuba (JP)
Assigned to NEC CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 16/488,800
Filed by NEC CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Feb. 28, 2017, PCT No. PCT/JP2017/007830
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 26, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/158830, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0061540 A1, Feb. 27, 2020
Int. Cl. B32B 9/00 (2006.01); B01D 57/02 (2006.01); C01B 32/159 (2017.01); C01B 32/172 (2017.01); B03C 5/00 (2006.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01); B82Y 30/00 (2011.01)
CPC B01D 57/02 (2013.01) [B03C 5/00 (2013.01); B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); C01B 32/159 (2017.08); C01B 32/172 (2017.08); B82Y 30/00 (2013.01); C01B 2202/02 (2013.01); Y10T 428/30 (2015.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A single-walled carbon nanotube separation method comprising:
forming a pH gradient such that pHs increase from a bottom to a top in a vertical direction in an electrophoresis tank;
applying a direct current to a first electrode disposed in an upper part of the electrophoresis tank and a second electrode disposed in a lower part of the electrophoresis tank, the first and second electrodes being separated from each other in the vertical direction;
in a state in which the pH gradient is formed, injecting a first liquid having a first pH into the electrophoresis tank through a first injection port provided in one side surface of the electrophoresis tank;
in the state in which the pH gradient is formed, injecting a second liquid having a second pH lower than the first pH through a second injection port provided below the first injection port of the one side surface into the electrophoresis tank; and
recovering a third liquid through a first recovery port provided at a position in which the first recovery port faces the first injection port and a fourth liquid through a second recovery port provided at a position in which the second recovery port faces the second injection port, the first recovery port being separated from the first injection port in a horizontal direction, the first and second electrodes being provided between the first injection port and the first recovery port when seen from the vertical direction, the second recovery port being separated from the second injection port in the horizontal direction,
wherein at least one of the first and second liquids is a first dispersion having first single-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed therein, and
wherein the first dispersion is separable into a dispersion in which single-walled carbon nanotubes mainly containing metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes are dispersed and a dispersion in which single-walled carbon nanotubes mainly containing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are dispersed.