This work demonstrates a method to synthesize ultralong multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) forest with high growth rate using the three-zone temperature chemical vapor deposition (TZT-CVD). The effect of temperature difference in the TZT-CVD is to sustain the lifetime of the catalyst and hence increase the growth efficiency. By optimizing the growth variables, TZT-CVD produced MW-CNTs forest with a height up to 4.27 min in 60 min. The CNT synthesis ratio, all ultimate figure of merit is 7 12 times and the carbon source consumption is 4% compared to that of single-zone temperature CVD. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.