Multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been produced by several different methods, including chemical vapor deposition and laser ablation. These nanotubes are either grown as a layer of aligned nanotubes or as intertwined, randomly oriented bundles of nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes have many potential applications due to their mechanical, electrical, and eletronic properties. However, the difficulty in asembling the nanotubes into desired complex architectures and patterns hinder some applications. This invention is directed to a carbon nanotube foam.