CeO2 hollow nanobeads have been synthesized facilely using carbon nanotubes as templates by means of a solvothermal treatment combined with controlled calcinations. The properties Of CeO2 hollow nanobeads were characterized by TEM, EDS, XRD and XPS. The obtained CeO2 hollow nanobeads with polycrystalline face-centered cubic phase have a uniform morphology ranging from 150 to 200 nm in outer diameter and 40 to 60 nm in inner diameter. A possible formation mechanism has been suggested to explain the formation of CeO2 hollow nanobeads. It is found that CeO2 hollow nanobeads have an excellent catalytic performance for the CO oxidation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.