June 3, 2005 — A team from Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University claimed to have invented a new way to harvest semiconducting nanotubes from metallic nanotubes, according to a report in the Korea Times.

Professor Lee Young-hee, the team leader, said the invention would complement another invention by Seoul National University professor Park Wan-jun, who invented a new process to produce high-purity single-walled carbon nanotubes in December 2004. “Park’s technology is about synthesizing carbon nanotubes in a competitive fashion and ours is about dividing it for commercial use,” he said. However, he said the new approach would not likely become useful for another decade when it could help designers overcome the limitations of current processes.

Source: INSEAD InnovAsia