Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNs), coated with ordered WS2 mono- or multi-layers, are generated by pyrolysing H2S/N-2 over MWCNs thinly coated with WO3. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals the presence of hexagonal WS2 arrays in the tube surface, consistent with the WS, simulated structure. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.