Methods of making spatially aligned nanotubes and nanotube arrays

A method for making an array of longitudinally aligned carbon nanotubes;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• providing a guided growth substrate having a receiving surface, wherein said guided growth substrate is a single crystalline Y-cut or rotated Y-cut quartz substrate having a cut angle selected from the range of 0 degrees to 42.75 degrees;
• wherein said guided growth substrate is characterized by a principle guided growth axis in the plane of said receiving surface;
• patterning said receiving surface with a carbon nanotube growth catalyst to generate bands of catalyst separated from each other by regions of said receiving surface having substantially no catalyst present, wherein said bands of catalyst are oriented to intersect the principle guided growth axis and have a surface concentration of catalyst selected from the range of 1000 particles μm−2 to 10 particles μm−2;
• and wherein said regions of said receiving surface having substantially no catalyst present have a surface concentration of catalyst less than or equal to 1 particle μm−2;
• and
• growing longitudinally aligned carbon nanotubes on said receiving surface of said guided growth substrate via guided growth, wherein said nanotubes grow between the bands of catalyst along nanotube growth axes parallel to the principle guided growth axis of said guided growth substrate, thereby making said array of longitudinally aligned carbon nanotubes.