[en] The discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991 opened up a challenging new area of research, because they are expected to be ideal building blocks for nanoscale applications due to their extraordinary mechanical and electronic properties. Various production methods have been developed, however precise control of nanotube morphology (e.g. length, diameter) has yet to be realised, a fact which has delayed industrial exploitation. Thus a comprehensive understanding of nanotube growth is essential, and this thesis is concerned with this important problem, i.e. the controlled production of novel carbon nanomaterials. Chapter 1 surveys production methods for fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and other carbon-based materials, such as fibres, particles etc. The sophisticated tools required for this work, e.g. high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), etc. are reviewed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 describes a novel approach to carbon nanotubes, using laser etching techniques, which generates aligned tubes of uniform diameter and length. The mode of catalyst preparation, as well as the nature of the precursor, play crucial roles in this process. The preparation of modified carbon nanotubes by the pyrolysis of metallocene, e.g. ferrocene in conjunction with various hydrocarbons, is discussed in Chapter 4. Superconducting interference device measurements (SQUID) show that Fe-filled carbon nanotubes exhibit enhanced coercivities in the 430-1070 Oe range, i.e. greater than those reported for Ni and Co nanowires. Carbon nanotubes can be also modified by replacing atoms of the carbon network with nitrogen, boron or both. The creation of large arrays of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, for example CN_x nanofibres, as well as the formation of B_xC_yN_z onions is described in Chapter 5. Electron irradiation of these onions generates pure carbon onions. Finally (Chapter 6), the catalytic behaviour of metal particles in different systems is studied in order to determine the relationship between metal particle and tube morphology. (author)