October 1, 2007 — RASIRC, a steam purification company, reports research findings indicating that the addition of pure water vapor during formation of carbon nanotubes affects all aspects of their development, including length, shape, and purity.

One barrier to widespread commercialization of carbon nanotubes is difficulty producing them in bulk with uniform sizes, shapes, and properties.

The paper, Water Vapor and Carbon Nanotubes, by Jeffrey Spiegelman, says that precisely delivered pure water vapor in the production of carbon nanotubes has been shown to significantly improve their the growth rate and uniformity. Water vapor controls the length, structure, contamination of metals and amorphous carbon, continuity of the tube wall, and performs post chemical vapor deposition cleaning of the carbon nanotubes.

Pure water vapor is manufactured and delivered via a new technology developed by RASIRC. The company says its RainMaker Humidification System starts with industrial grade deionized water, then uses a special non-porous membrane to remove molecular oxygen and other contaminants from the water supply, so the process is repeatable and stable.

The paper explains each area of carbon nanotube development and improvements that result from the delivery of pure steam at each point in the process.