Patent ID: 8182783

Claim:
A method for chemically extracting impurities from nanocarbons, comprising: providing a nanocarbon preparation, the nanocarbon preparation including a plurality of nanocarbon structures; introducing the nanocarbon preparation and at least one liquid phase removing agent into a vessel to form a suspension of the nanocarbon preparation in the at least one liquid phase removing agent; closing the vessel; pressurizing the closed vessel; subjecting the nanocarbon preparation and the at least one liquid phase removing agent in the closed and pressurized vessel to microwave radiation to cause the at least one liquid phase removing agent to chemically react with and extract a portion of at least one contaminant from the nanocarbon preparation while the nanocarbon preparation and the at least one liquid phase removing agent are subjected to the microwave radiation in the closed and pressurized vessel; wherein each nanocarbon structure of the plurality of nanocarbon structures is not functionalized or derivatized by subjecting the nanocarbon preparation to microwave radiation in the presence of the at least one liquid phase removing agent in the closed and pressurized vessel; and wherein the at least one contaminant includes at least one metal.