Patent ID: 8512458

Claim:
A method of forming a carbon nanotube filter, comprising: providing a carbon source and a carbon nanotube catalyst on a substrate; growing carbon nanotubes by reacting said carbon source with said nanotube catalyst, said carbon nanotubes arranged in multiple bundles of multiple carbon nanotubes, adjacent carbon nanotube bundles not touching each other; while said bundles of multiple carbon nanotubes are attached to said substrate, forming chemically active carbon nanotube bundles by forming a chemically active layer on carbon nanotubes said bundles of multiple carbon nanotubes or forming chemically reactive groups on carbon nanotubes of said bundles of multiple carbon nanotubes; and after forming said chemically active layer or forming said chemically reactive groups and while said bundles of multiple carbon nanotubes are attached to said substrate, placing said chemically active nanotube bundles in a filter housing having an inlet and an outlet, said substrates arranged in two or more layers.