Ni0.85Se plate-like nanostructures (PNSs) had been prepared by a template method, and by a similar process, the Ni0.85Se nanoparticles were obtained by using NiCl2 center dot 6H(2)O as the nickel source. The Ni0.85Se nanostructures (NSs) with different shapes exhibited high catalytic activities for hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) with excess NaBH4. To the best of our knowledge, this may be the first report on using Ni0.85Se NSs as catalysts for the reduction of 4-NP.