Electrodes comprising nanostructured carbon

Abstract

An electrode includes a network of compressed interconnected nanostructured carbon particles such as carbon nanotubes. Some nanostructured carbon particles of the network are in electrical contact with adjacent nanostructured carbon particles. Electrodes may be used in various devices, such as capacitors, electric arc furnaces, batteries, etc. A method of producing an electrode includes confining a mass of nanostructured carbon particles and densifying the confined mass of nanostructured carbon particles to form a cohesive body with sufficient contacts between adjacent nanostructured carbon particles to provide an electrical path between at least two remote points of the cohesive body. The electrodes may be sintered to induce covalent bonding between the nanostructured carbon particles at contact points to further enhance the mechanical and electrical properties of the electrodes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electrode, comprising:
 a network of compressed interconnected nanostructured carbon particles formed by applying a force to a plurality of nanostructured carbon particles to form a cohesive body,   wherein sufficient individual nanostructured carbon particles of the network are interconnected with adjacent nanostructured carbon particles to form an electrically conductive structure.   
     
     
         2 . The electrode of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructured carbon particles of the network are carbon nanotubes having metallic properties. 
     
     
         3 . The electrode of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nanostructured carbon particles of the network have a mirror plane of symmetry. 
     
     
         4 . The electrode of  claim 1 , wherein the electrode is configured to be connected to an electrical source. 
     
     
         5 . The electrode of  claim 1 , wherein the electrode is configured for use as an anode or as a cathode in an electric arc furnace. 
     
     
         6 . The electrode of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes having catalyst nanoparticles disposed within ends of the carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         7 . The electrode of  claim 1 , further comprising a residue of nanostructured carbon in contact with a network of compressed sintered carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         8 . The electrode of  claim 1 , wherein the network of compressed interconnected nanostructured carbon is formed by a process comprising:
 disposing a plurality of raw carbon nanotubes in a press; and   applying a force to the press to compress the plurality of raw carbon nanotubes.   
     
     
         9 . The electrode of  claim 8 , wherein disposing a plurality of raw carbon nanotubes in a press comprises disposing unfluorinated carbon nanotubes in a press. 
     
     
         10 . A capacitor, comprising:
 a first electrode comprising a first network of compressed interconnected carbon nanotubes formed by applying a force to a first plurality of raw carbon nanotubes to form an electrically conductive cohesive body;   a second electrode comprising a second network of compressed interconnected carbon nanotubes formed by applying a force to a second plurality of raw carbon nanotubes to form an electrically conductive cohesive body; and   a dielectric material disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.   
     
     
         11 . An electric arc furnace, comprising:
 a vessel comprising an insulating material, the insulating material formulated to resist the flow of thermal and electrical energy;   a first electrode; and   a second electrode;   wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a network of compressed interconnected nanostructured carbon particles formed by applying a force to a plurality of raw nanostructured carbon particles to form a cohesive body, wherein at least some nanostructured carbon particles of the network are in electrical contact with adjacent nanostructured carbon particles, and wherein a first portion of each of the first electrode and the second electrode is disposed within the vessel and a second portion of each of the first electrode and the second electrode is disposed outside the vessel.   
     
     
         12 . The electric arc furnace of  claim 11 , wherein the vessel comprises a lower body and a cover. 
     
     
         13 . The electric arc furnace of  claim 12 , wherein the first electrode is disposed within an opening defined by the cover and the second electrode is disposed within an opening defined by the lower body. 
     
     
         14 . The electric arc furnace of  claim 11 , further comprising an alternating-current source in electrical contact with the first electrode and the second electrode. 
     
     
         15 . The electric arc furnace of  claim 14 , wherein the alternating-current source is configured to deliver an electric current through the first electrode, to a metal within the vessel, and through the second electrode. 
     
     
         16 . A battery, comprising:
 a plurality of electrodes, each electrode comprising a network of compressed interconnected nanostructured carbon particles formed by applying a force to a plurality of raw nanostructured carbon particles to form a cohesive body, wherein at least some nanostructured carbon particles of the network are in electrical contact with adjacent nanostructured carbon particles.   
     
     
         17 . The battery of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a Schottky barrier in electrical contact with each electrode, the Schottky barrier comprising a semiconductor component and a metallic component joined at a metal-semiconductor junction;   a radioactive source comprising at least one radioactive element configured to emit radioactive particles and positioned proximate to the Schottky barrier array such that at least a portion of the radioactive particles impinge on the Schottky barrier array to produce a flow of electrons across the metal-semiconductor junction.   
     
     
         18 . The battery of  claim 17 , wherein a first electrode of the plurality of electrodes is in electrical contact with the semiconductor component of the Schottky barrier, and a second electrode of the plurality of electrodes is in electrical contact with the metallic component of the Schottky barrier. 
     
     
         19 . The battery of  claim 17 , wherein the Schottky barrier comprises carbon nanotubes defining interstices, and wherein the radioactive source is disposed within the interstices. 
     
     
         20 . A method of producing an electrically conducting sintered object, comprising:
 confining a mass of raw nanostructured carbon particles comprising carbon nanotubes;   densifying the confined mass of raw nanostructured carbon particles to form a cohesive body with sufficient contacts between adjacent nanostructured carbon particles to provide an electrical path between at least two remote points of the electrically conducting cohesive body; and   sintering the cohesive body to form at least some covalent bonds between the nanostructured carbon particles at the contacts between adjacent nanostructured carbon particles.