Technology Licensing
PATENTS

Patents and Trade Secrets

Unidym controls one of the most expansive intellectual property portfolios in the carbon nanotube (CNT) industry, with foundational patents and trade secrets related CNT compositions of matter, synthesis, processing, and applications. Unidym's intellectual property portfolio protects the products it manufactures and sells and offers Unidym licensees the opportunity to commercialize products outside of Unidym's product development efforts.

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Patents
As a result of its merger with CNI, Unidym now owns or has exclusive licenses to over 150 patents and patent applications.

Unidym's CNT patents can be categorized in terms of:

1) Fundamental Compostion of Matter patents give the patent holder exclusive rights to a particular type of matter. Critical composition of matter claims that have been allowed include high-purity CNTs, derivatized CNTs, electrical conductors containing CNTs, CNT ropes, CNT composites, CNT dispersions, CNT arrays and CNT fibers.

2) CNT Synthesis patents are related to the production of CNTs using such methods as electric arc, laser vaporization, chemical vapor deposition, and predominantly gas phase processes.

3) Application-enabling Technologies includes post-synthesis treatment of CNTs to purify, disperse, functionalize and/or otherwise alter them. Unidym's portfolio includes claims related to the modification and manipulation of CNTs which cover:
  • Cutting CNTs
  • Opening the ends of CNTs
  • Purifying CNTs
  • End-derivatizing CNTs
  • Side-wall derivatizing CNTs
  • Non-covalently derivatized CNTs
  • Doping CNTs
  • Aligning CNTs
  • Dielectric materials containing CNTs

4) Articles of Manufacture claims cover CNT-containing products. Unidym's portfolio has over 300 claims for articles of manufacture which include:
  • CNT arrays
  • Transparent electrodes
  • Thin film transistors
  • Fuel cell components
  • Supercapacitor components
  • Battery components
  • Memory
  • Electrochemical devices
  • Field emitters
  • Photo-emitters
  • Optoelectronic devices
  • Catalyst supports
  • Electromagnetic shielding
  • Electromechanical transducers
  • Sensors
  • Conductive composites
  • Structural composites