Hexagonal tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanorods were prepared from ammonium metatungstate, tetrapropyl ammonium hydroxide and potassium chloride. The product exhibited a high adsorption capacity toward methylene blue (MB), and the time required for reaching adsorption equilibrium is less than 5 s. The amount of MB adsorbed by WO3 in 5 s was equivalent to that adsorbed by activated carbon for 30 min. FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopies were used to examine the interaction between WO3 and MB. Ionic interaction and "imprinting-adsorption" were proposed to explain the adsorption property of as-prepared WO3 sample. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.