Laser etching of Co, Ni and Fe films, in conjunction with the pyrolysis of solid organic precursors (e.g. aminodichlorotriazine, melamine, etc.) generates aligned carbon nanotube bundles and films of uniform length (< 200 mu m) and diameter (30 Angstrom - 80 Angstrom). However, nanotube alignment strongly depends upon laser etching conditions (e.g. laser power, pulse duration and focus distance). Additionally, condensed-phase techniques, using mixtures of molten LiCl and soft metals (e.g. ...