Patent ID: 8608993

Claim:
A method of fabricating a nanocomposite structure, comprising the steps of: providing a polymer characteristically defined as having a viscosity of at least approximately 100,000 poise at a temperature of 200° C.; mixing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with said polymer at a temperature of at least 200° C. to form a viscous mixture; flowing an inert gas through said viscous mixture to purge oxygen therefrom during said step of mixing; cooling said viscous mixture wherein a solid form of said viscous mixture is generated; breaking said solid form into pieces not to exceed approximately 0.125 inches in diameter; and converting said pieces into an extruded shape in which said CNTs are longitudinally aligned along a dimension of said extruded shape in which the CNTs are longitudinally aligned along a dimension of said extruded shape wherein said step of converting comprises flowing a second inert gas through said pieces in a storage hopper to purge oxygen from spaces between said pieces.