A mild hydrothermal method has been adopted to prepare La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 and La0.5Ba0.5MnO3, which is of interest for a number of possible applications. The results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that in the present work the temperature of 200 and 240degreesC are sufficient to prepare phase pure La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 and La0.5Ba0.5MnO3 crystals. At 200degreesC, La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 nanowires are obtained. The average width and length of the nanowires are 40 nm and 4 mum, respectively. At 240degreesC, La0.5Ba0.5MnO3 powders obtained have a cubic structure with the average size of 3-5 mum. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.