Using glycolipid nanotubes as templates, assembled copper nanoparticles were prepared from copper-chelating amphiphiles by a simple annealing process. The morphology and structure of these nanoparticles were investigated using transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results showed that the nanoparticles are crystalline and mainly composed of face-centered cubic (fcc) Cu with a narrow size distribution (similar to 5 nm). The present method suggests that by using an appropriate template-assisted technique, it is potentially valuable for the fabrication of organized metal nanoparticles arrays. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.