US semiconductor nanscrystals have been prepared by solvothermal method with 4,4'-dithiodimorpholine (DTDM) as sulphur source. Flowerlike US nanocrystals and aggregated US nanorods were obtained with different solvents, e.g. carbon tetrachloride and benzene, respectively. It was found that the special molecular structure and dissociation manner of DTDM may be favorable to the morphologically controlled growth of US crystals. The formation mechanism of the nanostructures was preliminary discussed. Furthermore, the optical properties of as-prepared samples were characterized by photoluininescence (PL) spectra and Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), the ECL tests show that the products have good stability and strong electrogenerated chemiluminescence. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.