A carbon nanotube specimen with a carbon content of 83 wt.% (95 vol.%) and a specific surface area equal to 790 m(2)/g (corresponding to 948 m(2)/g of carbon) is prepared by a catalytic chemical vapor deposition method. The nanotubes, 90% of which are single- and double-walled, are individual rather than in bundles. High-resolution electron microscopy shows a diameter distribution in the range 0.8-5 nm and Raman spectroscopy shows a high proportion of tubular carbon. Both techniques reveal a maximum in the inner wall diameter distribution close to 1.2 nm.