Bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes (BCNT) were prepared from three different amines on supported iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) catalysts by catalytic chemical vapor deposition. The main factors governing product morphology and defect site density were identified. Post-synthetic oxidative functionalization was used to add carboxyl groups to the nanotubes, and then platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were deposited on the surface by the in situ reduction of a platinum salt. The average Pt nanoparticle diameter was found to be affected by the extent of surface functionalization. The catalytic performance of the synthesized Pt/BCNT samples were examined in the hydrogenation of 1-butene, in order to show that the catalytic activity of the bamboo like carbon nanotube supported Pt catalyst is similar to the conventional Pt catalysts in heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation. The best overall performance was achieved when the bamboo-shaped nanotube support was synthesized on 5 wt% Fe/Al(OH)(3) catalyst from triethylamine and decorated with 5 wt% platinum nanoparticles.