Synthesis of carbon nanotubes described in the present work is based on activation of methane in a hot filament CVD reactor and subsequent creation of nanostructures on a catalyst pre-treated polished surface of silicon. An essential step of the synthesis is the use of natural minerals as catalysts. We have studied the catalyst parameters, the way of its application and the amount of Fe3+ cations on the surface of aluminosilicates on the quality of the grown nanotube layers. The growth of carbon nanotubes catalyzed by montmorillonite and zeolite (clinoptilolite) was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.