A facile aqueous process was explored for the preparation of 1D Bi nanostructures with sodium-hypophosphite (NaH2PO2 center dot H2O) as reducing agent at low temperature, introduction of tartaric acid (H2C4H4O6, TA) to the reaction system was essential for our strategy in acidic solutions. The achieved 1D nanostructures have typical diameters of 30-50 nm and length of up to 5 mu m. Reaction parameters on the preparation of Bi nanostructures were manipulated, and the results reveal that the amount of TA and reaction temperature have important effects on the morphology of the as-obtained samples. The reduction process of Bi (III) to Bi (0) was discussed based on the characteristics of the reaction system employed. Photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation were investigated on the 1D Bi nanostructured samples. The results indicated that the 1D Bi nanostructures exhibited good photocatalytic property, the degradation efficiency can reach 99% after 150 min's irradiation. Possible mechanism was proposed for Bi-assisted photocatalytic degradation of RhB under visible light. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.