The Li0.44MnO2 and Li2MnO3 nanoribbons have been achieved via Na0.44MnO2 nanoribbons as precursor template followed by ion-exchange to replace Na+ by Li+. The Li0.44MnO2 nanoribbons are formed when the Na+ in Na0.44MnO2 is replaced by the Li+ in the molten LiNO3 and LiCl salts and the formation of Li2MnO3 nanoribbons involves the ion-exchange between Li+ and Na+ and the oxidation process of LiNO3. The morphology of Li0.44MnO2 and Li2MnO3 preserves the 1D nanostructure of Na0.44MnO2 nanoribbons after ion-exchange reaction between Na+ and Li+. The transformation from Na0.44MnO2 nanoribbons to Li0.44MnO2 and Li2MnO3 nanoribbons can be interpreted on the basis of a self-sacrificing templating route. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.