Magnesium oxide (MgO) nanostructures were synthesized by DC arc plasma jet chemical vapor deposition, which possesses the advantages of being simple, economical, fast, effective and environmentally benign. The formation of "tadpole"-, dendrite-, belt- and rod-like MgO nanostructures was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the nanostructures consist of cubic phase MgO. Nanobelts that were 30-50 nm wide with a width/thickness ratio of 1-2 were synthesized in just 5 min. Most of the nanobelts were connected to others, and the connected nanobelts possessed a single-crystal structure. A formation mechanism for MgO nanostructures was proposed. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated the adsorption of water and CO2 on the MgO surface. The nanobelts exhibited relatively strong blue-green luminescence. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.