Patent ID: 8636972

Claim:
A method for processing a composite material, comprising: forming a nanomaterial comprising a plurality of nanotubes, wherein the plurality of nanotubes comprises a plurality of first nanotubes and a plurality of second nanotubes, wherein the plurality of first nanotubes and the plurality of second nanotubes have different lengths; applying a liquid to the nanomaterial, wherein the liquid comprises water, hydraulic fluid or motor oil, absorbing and/or adsorbing a plurality of atoms by evaporating the liquid, wherein the atoms are oxygen and/or hydrogen atoms; combining the nanomaterial with an uncured matrix to yield a composite material; and dispersing and aligning the plurality of nanotubes within the uncured matrix by outgassing the adsorbed and/or absorbed atoms by applying an electric field to the composite material and curing the uncured matrix.