nanoREV.

NanoL&B Patent of the Week - AAO nanotemplates (U.S. Patent 6,129,901)

There are two basic ways to integrate carbon nanotubes into an electronic device- 1) depositing pre-manufactured carbon nanotubes as part of a solution or coating or 2) directly growing the carbon nanotubes on the device. In either case one critical factor for many applications such as field emission displays, sensors, and transistors is the alignment and uniformity of nanotubes formed in an array. One methodology which is very frequently cited for the vertical alignment of high density carbon nanotube arrays is the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) method in which an alumina film is exposed to an acidic bath resulting in the formation of nanopores which are used as the template from which to grow carbon nanotubes. This patent from inventors Martin Moskovits, Jung Li, and Thomas Haslett is fairly basic to the use of AAO templates for the formation of well aligned carbon nanotubes. One of the inventors (Martin Moskovits) is currently the Chief Technology Officer of API Nanotronics, a designer and manufacturer of semiconductors and electronics for military, industrial, and commercial applications.