GaN nanowires and nanorods have been successfully synthesized on Si(1 1 1) substrates by magnetron sputtering through ammoniating Ga2O3/V films at 900 degrees C in a quartz tube. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum were carried out to characterize the structure, morphology, and photoluminescence properties of GaN sample. The results show that the GaN nanowires and nanorods with pure hexagonal wurtzite structure have good emission properties. The growth direction of nanostructures is perpendicular to the fringes of (1 0 1) plane. The growth mechanism is also briefly discussed. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.