ZnSe nanoflowers have been synthesized by reaction of Se powder with Zn substrates at low temperature. The as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy measurements. It was found that the morphologies of the as-prepared samples highly depended on reaction time. ZnSe nanoclusters and nanoflowers formed at 573 K when the reaction time was 20 and 60 min, respectively. The as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers were composed of radically aligned ZnSe nanorods with smooth surfaces. The results of XRD, XPS, EDS, TEM and Raman showed that the as-prepared ZnSe nanocrystals were single crystals with cubic zinc blende (ZB) structure. The formation mechanism of the as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers was also discussed. In addition, the as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers had excellent electron emission properties. The turn-on field of the as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers was 3.5 V/mu m and the enhancement factor was 3499. The optical properties of the as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers were also investigated. The results demonstrated that the as-prepared ZnSe nanoflowers were potential candidates for optoelectronic devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.