A solvothermal route has been developed to synthesize K2V3O8 nanorods via the reduction of V2O5 using ethanol as the reducing agent as well as the solvent at 200degreesC. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analysis revealed that the as-synthesized products are of tetragonal structure K2V3O8. Transmission electron spectroscopy image showed that the obtained K2V3O8 comprises rod-like nanocrystallites. The formation mechanism of K2V3O8 was studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.