Thin film production method and apparatus

1. A method for directly forming a thin film of nanotubes from a flowing aerosol suspension of nanotube particles produced as the exhaust flow from a nanotube-producing reactor, which comprises:

depositing said nanotube particles from said flowing aerosol suspension onto a filter substrate; and

adhering the as-deposited nanotube particles to a second substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate comprises an adhesive coated substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adhesive comprises an organic material.

4. The method of claim 1 , including the step of covering the deposited nanotube particles.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the deposited nanotube particles are covered by a film.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposited nanotube particles are separated from the filter substrate while preserving the physical orientation of the as-deposited particles.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adhesive material is applied to the second substrate in a predetermined pattern so that the deposited particles attach to the second substrate in said predetermined pattern.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filter substrate comprises a porous filter medium.

9. The method of claim 1 , including the step of orienting said particles by applying a magnetic field to the particles in a region where the particles are deposited upon the filter substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 , including the step of orienting said particles by the step of applying an electrical field to the particles in a region where the particles are deposited upon the filter substrate.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube particles comprise carbon nanotubes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon nanotubes are formed in a CVD reactor.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adhesive is selected from the group consisting of a wax, a tar, a polymer, a green ceramic, a carbon slurry, a sugar, and a combination of two or more thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube particles are adhered to the second substrate by natural affinity.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbon nanotubes are formed in a plasma jet reactor.

16. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesive comprises paraffin.

17. The method of claim 1 , carried out as a continuous process.

18. The method of claim 1 , including the step of passing said flowing aerosol suspension through a heat exchanger to cool said flowing aerosol suspension to a temperature compatible with the allowable temperature range of said filter substrate prior to depositing the particles upon the filter substrate.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nanotube particles are deposited on a moving filter substrate.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the moving filter substrate comprises a porous belt.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the moving filter substrate is oriented at an angle substantially normal to the flow of said aerosol suspension.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the moving filter substrate is oriented at a non-normal angle to the flow of said aerosol suspension, whereby the nanotube particles are caused to be aligned as they are deposited on the filter substrate.