Here, we present a facile one-pot method based on colloid chemistry to successfully synthesise nanocomposites of carbon nanotubes decorated with nanoparticles of different metal oxides. The as-synthesised nanocomposites were characterised by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results revealed that different kinds of metal oxide nanoparticles were homogenously deposited on the carbon nanotubes. The size of the metal oxide nanoparticles could be tuned by adjusting the experimental temperature and duration of the synthesis steps. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.