Patent ID: 8318122
Filing Date: 2012-11-27
Classification: B82Y,C01B

Abstract:
1. A method for manufacturing an amorphous, powdered carbon nanomaterial composed of carbon particles, the method comprising, forming a reverse microemulsion comprising at least one non-polar solvent, at least one surfactant, and at least one polar solvent, the reverse microemulsion being a stable, discontinuous liquid-liquid mixture in which the at least one non-polar solvent forms a bulk phase and the at least one polar solvent forms a disperse phase of polar micelles suspended in the bulk phase; adding at least one carbon precursor substance to the reverse microemulsion that preferentially sequesters into the disperse phase of polar micelles rather than the bulk phase comprising the at least one non-polar solvent and that includes reactive groups for forming inter-molecular reactions between carbon precursor molecules; reacting the at least one carbon precursor substance in the disperse phase so as to form an intermediate particulate carbon nanomaterial dispersed in the disperse phase of the reverse microemulsion rather than the bulk phase; separating the intermediate particulate carbon nanomaterial from the reverse microemulsion; and heating the intermediate particulate carbon nanomaterial for a period of time so as to carbonize and transform the particulate carbon nanomaterial into the amorphous, powdered carbon nanomaterial in which at least a portion of the carbon nanomaterial is graphitic.