Texas Instruments Incorporated
Multi-layered SP.sup.2-bonded carbon tubes

Abstract:

A microstructure comprises a plurality of interconnected units wherein the units are formed of graphene tubes. The graphene tubes may be formed by photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of units to form a polymer microlattice, removing unpolymerized monomer, coating the polymer microlattice with a metal, removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice, depositing graphitic carbon on the metal microlattice, converting the graphitic carbon to graphene, and removing the metal microlattice. A ceramic may be deposited on the graphene and another graphene layer may be deposited on top of the ceramic to create a multi-layered sp.sup.2-bonded carbon tube.