Patent ID: 7815886

Claim:
A method including: (a) introducing a carbon-bearing material into a reactant liquid; (b) isolating carbon atoms from the carbon-bearing material as conditioned carbide anions located within the reactant liquid; (c) providing a collection area which contains at least one collection surface; (d) enabling the conditioned carbide anions to traverse a surface of the reactant liquid and travel into the collection area over the at least one collection surface contained in the collection area; (e) introducing a material into the collection chamber through a separate collection chamber input as the conditioned carbon anions travel over the collection surface, the separate collection chamber input having an injection end positioned within the collection chamber so that the material introduced into the collection chamber through the separate collection chamber input is directed against the collection surface as the conditioned carbon anions travel over the collection surface; and (f) removing carbon nanostructures from the collection chamber.