Cubically crystallized mesoporous nickel oxide nanorods and nanocubes were fabricated by using a facile microemulsion strategy with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant. Physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized by means of a number of analytical techniques, and their catalytic activities were evaluated for the combustion of toluene. It was shown that the morphology of the samples strongly depended on the nature of surfactant: when CTAB was used, the product was mesoporous NiO nanorods; when SDS was adopted, mesoporous NiO nanocubes were obtained. The NiO-CTAB-2 sample derived with a Ni2+/CTAB molar ratio of 0.364 displayed the highest surface area (ca. 46 m(2)/g) and the best low-temperature reducibility. A clear correlation of oxygen adspecies concentration or low-temperature reducibility with catalytic performance was observed. The high catalytic activity (T-50%= 256 degrees C and T-90%= 278 degrees C at SV = 20,000 mL/(g h)) for toluene combustion of NiO-CTAB-2 was related to its larger surface area, higher oxygen adspecies concentration, and better low-temperature reducibility. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.