Patent ID: 9051179
Filing Date: 2015-06-09
Classification: B01J,B82Y,C01B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A continuous method for functionalizing a carbon nanotube, comprising: a) feeding a carbon nanotube solution including a nitro compound represented by a following chemical formula 1, a carbon nanotube and a solvent into a preheater via heat exchanger and then preheating the carbon nanotube solution; b) feeding a carbon nanotube mixture of the carbon nanotube solution from the step (a) and a oxidizer selected from a group consisting of a oxygen, air, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and a mixture thereof into a functionalizing reactor to obtain a functionalized product and then functionalizing the carbon nanotube in the carbon nanotube mixture at subcritical water or supercritical water condition of 50 to 400 atm, wherein the functionalizing the carbon nanotube is performed by a nitric acid formed by a reaction of the chemical formula 1 and the oxidizer under subcritical water or supercritical water condition; c) subjecting the functionalized product from the step (b) to a quenching and pH adjusting using a pH adjuster to obtain a quenched and pH adjusted product; d) cooling down the quenched and pH adjusted product from the step (c) into 0 to 100° C. and then depressurizing the quenched and pH adjusted product into 1 to 10 atm by feeding the quenched and pH adjusted product into a cooling down and depressing part via the heat exchanger of the step (a) while carrying out the process of the step (a); and e) recovering the cooled down and depressurized product; wherein R is an alkyl group of C1 to C7 or an aryl group of C6 to C20 and x and y are integers of 1 to 3 independently.