Semiconductor ZnS nanotubes, with outer diameters in the range of 37 - 52 nm and lengths up to 3 microns, have been successfully synthesized from solutions containing a nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100 (t-octyl-(OCH2CH2)(x)OH, x = 9,10). The as-synthesized nanotubes have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The growth mechanism of nanotubes has also been discussed. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.