METHODS OF GENERATING ENERGETIC PARTICLES USING NANOTUBES AND ARTICLES THEREOF
There is disclosed a method of generating energetic particles, which comprises contacting nanotubes with a source of hydrogen isotopes, such as D 2 O, and applying activation energy to the nanotubes. In one embodiment, the hydrogen isotopes comprises protium, deuterium, tritium, and combinations thereof. There is also disclosed a method of transmuting matter that is based on the increased likelihood of nuclei interaction for atoms confined in the limited dimensions of a nanotube structure, which generates energetic particles sufficient to transmute matter and exposing matter to be transmuted to these particles.
1 . A method of generating energetic particles, said method comprising contacting nanotubes with hydrogen isotopes, and applying activation energy to said nanotubes.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogen isotopes comprises protium, deuterium, tritium, and combinations thereof.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogen isotopes are provided from a source that is in a solid, liquid, gas, plasma, or supercritical phase.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogen isotopes are provided from a source that are bound in a molecular structure.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein hydrogen isotopes are provided via D 2 O.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said activation energy comprises thermal, electromagnetic, or the kinetic energy of a particle.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said electromagnetic energy comprises one or more sources chosen from x-rays, optical photons, γ-rays, microwave radiation, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, phonons, radiation in the frequencies ranging from gigahertz to terahertz, or combinations thereof.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said particle containing kinetic energy is chosen from neutrons, protons, electrons, beta radiation, alpha radiation, mesons, pions, hadrons, leptons, baryons, and combinations thereof.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said energetic particles comprise neutrons, protons, electrons, beta radiation, alpha radiation, mesons, pions, hadrons, leptons, baryons, and combinations thereof.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotubes comprise carbon nanotubes.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotube is a multi-walled carbon nanotube.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotube is a multi-walled carbon nanotube has a length ranging from 500 μm to 10 cm.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotube is a multi-walled carbon nanotube having a length ranging from 2 mm to 10 mm.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrogen isotopes are located within the interior of a nanotube, the space between the walls of a multi-walled nanotube, inside at least one loop formed by one or more nanotubes, or combinations thereof.
15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a bundle of carbon nanotubes and providing activation energy in the form of electrical energy, to the bundle.
16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said electrical energy is in the form of an electrical pulse.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotubes are aligned end to end, parallel, or in any combination thereof.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotube structure has an inside diameter ranging up to 100 nm.
19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the said nanotube is comprised of insulating, metallic, or semiconducting materials and combinations of such materials.
20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said nanotubes consist essentially of carbon and its allotropes.
21 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least partially coating or doping least one atomic or molecular layer of an inorganic material prior to applying said activation energy.
22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said activation energy comprises environmental background radiation.
23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein said environmental background radiation comprises cosmic rays.
24 . A method of transmuting matter, said method comprising contacting nanotubes with a source of hydrogen isotopes, applying activation energy to said nanotubes, producing energetic particles, and contacting the matter to be transmuted with said energetic particles.