This paper presents a comparative study on electrosorptive behavior of commercial single walled and double walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and as-prepared graphene as potential electrode materials for capacitive deionization (CDI). Their electrosorptive behaviors are evaluated under the same experimental conditions and described by various adsorption isotherms and kinetics models. It was found that the electrosorptive capacity of CNTs (single walled or double walled)-based CDI is higher than that of graphene-based CDI, which is related to their specific surface area, pore structure and hydrophilic functional groups. Electrosorptive kinetics analysis further confirms that CNTs are more suitable as electrode materials than graphene. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.