Crystalline antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) nanorods were hydrothermally prepared starting from SbCl3 and Na2S at 180degreesC for 12h. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) showed that the as-prepared nanorods were orthorhombic-phase Sb2S3 with lattice parameters a = 11.22Angstrom, b = 11.28Angstrom, c = 3.84Angstrom. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the as-prepared Sb2S3 are crystalline nanorods with a size of 30-100nm in diameter and 0.3-5 mum in length. The various effects on the growth of nanorods were studied. The possible growth process was discussed. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.