A series of Ni-La-Mg catalyst samples were prepared by citric acid complex method, and carbon nanotubes were synthesized by catalytic decomposition of CH4 on these catalysts. The effects of the citric acid concentration and the activation temperature on catalytic activity were investigated by CO adsorption,TEM and XRD techniques. The experimental results showed that the particle size of the catalysts prepared through gel auto-combustion varied with the concentration of citric acid. Therefore carbon nanotubes with different diameters were obtained correspondingly. The effect of activation temperature on the activity of catalyst was negligible from 500 to 700 ℃, but it became pronounced at lower or higher temperatures.