A reliable and facile pathway is described here for preparing high-quality bismuth nanoparticles. Combined with hydrothermal method and confined growing effect of polymer, bismuth nanoparticles with uniform size and shape were obtained with remarkable productivity. The nanoparticles is proved to be pure Rhombohedral structure Bi crystals with R-3m space group and the diameter of the nanoparticles is about 80 nm with a quite narrow particle size distribution. Those bismuth nanoparticles were predicted to grow from a rolling process by sheet-like Bi nanocrystal intermediates. The obtained bismuth nanoparticles were used to prepare modified electrode for the detection of Cd2+ and Pb2+ in water solution by stripping analysis. Compared with naked glassy carbon electrodes, the modified electrode showed two obvious responses at -0.85 V and -0.62 V, corresponding to the reduction process of Pb2+ and Cd2+ and this well-resolved stripping response can be observed when the concentration is as low as 10 mu g/L, indicating potential application in electroanalysis for environmental inspection. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.