The new method involves growing the nanotubes in atmospheric pressure gas and collecting them with a filter. The resulting thin film is then transferred from the filter onto plastic, which provides a very clean film of uniform quality in just a few seconds.
This process is being developed as a technology for high-speed roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing. The research was financed by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), Japan and Aalto University's Multidisciplinary Institute of Digitalisation and Energy (MIDE) research programme.
