A simple wet chemistry method was employed for the synthesis of Bi2S3 hierarchical nanostructure using thioglycolic acid as a capping agent under reflux condition. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope images (HR-TEMs), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (Fr-IR), and nitrogen sorption measurement. FE-SEM and TEM observations displayed that Bi2S3 hierarchical nanostructure assembled from nanorods of about 100 nm in length and 5-10 nm in diameter was successfully obtained. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation. The results indicated that Bi2S3 hierarchical nanostructure exhibited superior photocatalytic performance to pure Bi2S3, which can be ascribed to large specific surface area, hierarchical nanostructure, and high hydrophilicity. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.