Methods Reduce Cost, Enhance Quality of Nanotubes

About this technology

Overview

SBIR contracts with Johnson Space Center supported the development and demonstration of a nanotube production method pioneered by SouthWest Nanotechnologies Inc. (SWeNT), of Norman, Oklahoma. SWeNT's scalable, efficient process results in mass-produced nanotubes that are customizable to client needs and more pure than those created by other methods. These enhanced manufacturing capabilities may soon allow for nanotube-enabled technologies like advanced body armor, ultra-conductive wiring, printable electronics, and green innovations like more affordable solar panels and low-energy, solid-state lighting products. SWeNT's NASA-supported process has allowed the company to increase production a hundredfold while lowering cost tenfold.