Co3O4 nanowires, with the length of tens of micrometers and the width of several hundred nanometers, were produced by a hydrothermal treatment and a post-anneal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result showed that the Co3O4 nanowires belong to cubic crystal system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis indicated that the Co3O4 nanowires, composed by single crystalline nanoparticles, were of polycrystalline nature. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, methanamide-assisted hydrolysis and subsequent dissolution-recrystallization process were used to explain the precursors' formation process of the polycrystalline Co3O4 nanowires. The TGA experiments showed that the as-obtained Co3O4 nanowires can catalyze the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) effectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.