Solid carbon products comprising carbon nanotubes and methods of forming same

Abstract

Methods of forming solid carbon products include disposing a plurality of nanotubes in a press, and applying heat to the plurality of carbon nanotubes to form the solid carbon product. Further processing may include sintering the solid carbon product to form a plurality of covalently bonded carbon nanotubes. The solid carbon product includes a plurality of voids between the carbon nanotubes having a median minimum dimension of less than about 100 nm. Some methods include compressing a material comprising carbon nanotubes, heating the compressed material in a non-reactive environment to form covalent bonds between adjacent carbon nanotubes to form a sintered solid carbon product, and cooling the sintered solid carbon product to a temperature at which carbon of the carbon nanotubes do not oxidize prior to removing the resulting solid carbon product for further processing, shipping, or use.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sintered solid carbon product comprising a metal and a plurality of carbon nanotubes, wherein at least some of the plurality of carbon nanotubes are covalently bonded to other carbon nanotubes of the plurality. 
     
     
         2 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanotubes define a plurality of voids therebetween having a median minimum dimension of less than about 100 nm. 
     
     
         3 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has a bulk density of greater than approximately 1.3 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         4 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product comprises a projectile-resistant material. 
     
     
         5 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product comprises an electrically conductive material. 
     
     
         6 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has an electrical conductivity of at least approximately 1×10 5  S/m. 
     
     
         7 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has an electrical conductivity of at least approximately 1×10 7  S/m. 
     
     
         8 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product comprises an electrode. 
     
     
         9 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises a catalyst residual selected from the group consisting of the elements of Groups 5 through 10 of the periodic table. 
     
     
         10 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the carbon nanotubes contain a metal within growth tips of the carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         11 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has a bulk density of less than approximately 2.2 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         12 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of a ceramic and a lubricant, wherein the at least one material is interspersed in a continuous matrix surrounding and in contact with the plurality of carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         13 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product comprises a structural member. 
     
     
         14 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has a thermal conductivity of at least approximately 400 W/m·K. 
     
     
         15 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has a thermal conductivity of at least approximately 2000 W/m·K. 
     
     
         16 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 1 , wherein the sintered solid carbon product has a thermal conductivity of at least approximately 4000 W/m·K. 
     
     
         17 . A sintered solid carbon product comprising a metal and a plurality of carbon nanostructures, wherein the carbon nanostructures comprise carbon atoms bonded into a hexagonal lattice, wherein at least some of the plurality of carbon nanostructures are covalently bonded to other carbon nanostructures of the plurality. 
     
     
         18 . The sintered solid carbon products of  claim 17 , wherein at least some of the plurality of carbon nanostructures comprise multi-wall carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         19 . The sintered solid carbon product of  claim 17 , wherein at least some of the plurality of carbon nanostructures comprise nanobuds attached to carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         20 . The sintered solid carbon products of  claim 17 , wherein at least some of the plurality of carbon nanostructures comprise single-wall carbon nanotubes.