Carbon-nanotube-based substrates have been shown to support the growth of different cell types and, as such, have raised considerable interest in view of their possible use in biomedical applications. Nanotube matrices are embedded in polymers which cause inherent changes in nanotube chemical and physical film properties. Thus, it is critical to understand how the physical properties of the film affect the biology of the host tissue. Here, we investigated how the physical and chemical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) films impact the response of MC3T3-E1 bone osteoblasts. We found that two fundamental steps in cell growth-initial attachment to the substrate and proliferation-are strongly dependent on, respectively, the energy and roughness of the surface. Thus, fine-tuning the properties of the film may represent a valid strategy to optimize the response of the biological host.