ZnSe nanoribbons have been successfully synthesized on a large scale by solvothermal treatment of Zn and Se powder in the mixture of hydrazine hydrate and diethanolamine at 140 degrees C for 24 h and subsequent annealing in At. The morphology of the final products strongly depended on the volume ratio of hydrazine hydrate and diethanolamine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) explorations indicated that the as-prepared ZnSe nanoribbons were mostly about 40 nm in thickness, 100 nm in width, and 50 mu m in length. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations confirmed that resulting ZnSe nanoribbons are wurtzite structures and have a [0 0 1] growth direction. PL (photoluminescence) spectrum of the products exhibited a visible light emission. Based on these investigations, the products were expected to find wide applications in optoelectronic, field emission and catalytic fields. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.