The key technical challenges are: (a) mechanical sorting is ineffective for nanoscale product, (b) BNNTs are non-conductive and the agglomeration tendency is strong, and (c) organic solvents damage BNNTs. Consequently, cyclone separator technology will be a good initiation point, but electrostatic or triboelectric precipitator technology offers the most potential. In the more mature CNT production industry, dry cyclonic techniques operating at elevated temperatures are already employed. However, the CNT material accumulates as a single entity, and sorting of the end product by mass, size, or shape has not been implemented.The key objectives for the first year are an extensive literature review to compare/contrast promising techniques. External collaborators will actively be sought from academia and industry. As concepts are developed, a White Paper will be published and a New Technology Report will be filed. A plan will be formulated for a Tier 2 effort, which will define the research required for technology advancement.
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