Single crystalline SnS nanowires with an average diameter of 30 nm and lengths of up to hundreds of micrometers were synthesized by using cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), together with SnCl2, oxalic acid (H2C2O4), and sodium sulfide (Na2S). The crystallity, purity, morphology, and structure features of the-prepared SnS nanowires were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectrum. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.