Branched FeWO4@FeS core-shell nanostructures were synthesized on silicon substrates sputtered with approximately 5 nm of iron thin film via thermal evaporation of WO3 and S powder at 1050 degrees C in a tube furnace. Both the trunk and branch of the nanostructures are of uniform morphology and well-crystalline structure with diameters in the range of 100-400 nm and lengths up to tens of micrometers. It was proposed that the growth mechanism of the nanostructures was a combination of the classic vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid processes. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.