Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been successfully grown on the surfaces of mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by using iron particles as the catalyst. The morphologies of the hybrids were modulated by controlling the ratio (r) of H-2 to C2H2. The obtained CNTs are uniform with an average diameter of 20 nm when r = 2 at 750 degrees C. The specific surface area of such MCMB-CNTs-2 is 34.5 m(2).g(-1), and the specific capacitance is 319 F.g(-1) at the current density of 1 A.g(-1). More importantly, MCMB-CNTs-2 exhibits extraordinary cycling life stability (the retention is 88.4% after 5000 cycles), despite some CNTs may break off from MCMB surface after cycles. We attribute the improvement of electrochemical properties to the mesoporous structure and excellent electrical conductivity of the hybrids with low specific surface area. Our study indicates that the MCMB/CNTs hybrids are promising candidates for the electrode materials of supercapacitors. (C) 2017 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.