Ag2S nanorods were successfully synthesized by biomimetic route in the lysozyme solution at physiological temperature and atmospheric pressure. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the prepared nanorods are uniform and monodisperse with homogeneous size about 50 nm in diameter and 150 nm in length. The optical property of Ag2S nanocrystals was studied by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, the results show that the products exhibit well-defined emission at 471 nm and 496 nm excited by 292 nm. The interaction of Ag+/Ag2S with the lysozyme was investigated through Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, which shows that the cooperation effect of the lysozyme and Ag+ could be responsible for the formation of as obtained Ag2S nanorods. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.