International Cooperation

Progress in Nanotube

Researchers of the Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, the Institute of Chemistry made a new progress in the field of selective separation/enrichment of single-walled carbon nanotube in cooperation with their counterparts in the Advanced Laboratory of Sony Corporation. Patent has been applied for their invention and relevant research findings were published on the recent issue of Advanced Material (2009, 21, 813-816).

They use a chemical vapor deposition device commonly used in laboratory, put in etching gas under the high temperature of 400℃ and realize selective separation/enrichment of single-walled nanotube. Unlike the selective reaction (etching) of metal carbon nanotube by solution separation that is widely reported recently, with this method, the etched carbon nanotubes are transformed into carbon oxide gas and extracted out of the device, whereas metal single-walled nanotubes are retained inside the device. This method has a selective etching action to semi-conducting nanotubes of different diameters, particularly to semi-conducting nanotubes with a diameter less than 1.18nm, for which the etching ratio has reached 90%. This method also provides a new way for large scale enrichment of metal single-walled carbon nanotubes.

CAS/BP JV on Cleaner Energy

On Feb. 18, 2009, the opening ceremony of Clean Energy Commercialization Centre (CECC), a joint venture co-founded by CAS and British Petroleum Group (BP) was held in Shanghai. Participants of the event include Jiang Mianheng, Vice President of CAS, Li Yiping, Deputy Secretary-general of the People’s Government of Shanghai, Iain Conn, Executive Director of BP, principals of relevant organizations of both sides and senior BP officials. The establishment of CECC marked a big step forward for both sides in the development of clean energy technology.

Joint Efforts on Trans-gene Rice

Early March, 2009, the Institute of Sub-tropical Agriculture Ecology, CAS signed an agreement with the Hong Kong Chinese University regarding cooperation on arid- and salt-resistance trans-gene rice. The Hong Kong Chinese University will provide 7 different types of cloned arid- and salt-resistance gene from the soy beans, while the institute will take over the duty to proceed with the trans-gene rice and relevant breeding. The project is expected to take 3 years, and it is hoped to obtain a set of new parent trans-gene rice with arid- and salt-resistance characteristics, and thus to provide new types of cross-breeding rice that are adaptable to difficult habitats.