Mass production of single-crystalline SnO2 nanobelts was successfully achieved through a thermal evaporation of metallic Sn powders at 900 degrees C. The as-prepared SnO2 nanobelts were typically 30-200 nm in width, 10-50 nm in thickness, and about tens of micrometers in length. In addition to the classical Raman models, two new Raman bands at 498 and 698 cm(-1) are observed for rutile-phased SnO2 nanobelts, which can be attributed to the IR-active A(2u) TO and A(2u) LO modes, respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of SnO2 nanobelts featured an emission band at 615 nm (with a small shoulder at 585 nm), which might correspond to the existence of oxygen deficiencies in the produced belts. The formation of SnO2 nanobelts followed a vapor-solid (VS) growth mechanism. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.