The ceria nanospindles have been successfully synthesized via a simple template-free solvothermal treatment by employing a mixture of glycerin and water as the reaction solvent. The properties of the ceria nanospindles were characterized. A series of control experiments confirms that the reaction solvents, reaction temperature and time are the crucial factors determining the formation of ceria nanospindles, and by adjusting the experimental parameters the other ceria micro/nanostructures such as columns, spheres, and rods were obtained. The platinum coated ceria nanospindles show the excellent low-temperature catalytic activity in the oxidation of carbon monoxide as compared with other micro/nanostructures, which is mainly due to their special shape and uniformly-distributed active sites. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.