Cu3SnS4 (Kuramite, stannite group, tetragonal) nanoshell tubes have been successfully prepared on a large scale, using CuCl2 - 2H(2)O, SnCl2 - 2H(2)O (or SnCl4.5H(2)O) and thiourea as starting reactants and ethanol as solvent under mild solvothermal conditions at 200 degrees C. Close inspections reveal that the prepared tube-like Cu3SnS4 nanoshells are composed of spherical or flake-like nanoparticles. The experimental results further reveal that the preformed 1D-structured Cu+-thiourea complex precursor may provide an excellent template for the subsequent growth of Cu3SnS4 nanoshell tubes, and a so-called "template-mediated growth" mechanism was proposed for the formation of nanoparticle-based nanoshell tubes. It is found that reaction parameters, such as sulfur source, solvent and reaction temperature, play important roles in the growth of tube-like nanoshells. Photo luminescence (PL) spectrum indicates that the obtained Cu3SnS4 nanoshell tubes show emission band in the ultraviolet region. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.