Helical mesoporous silica nanorods have been synthesized with high efficiency by the addition of 1-alkanol or 1-aminoalkane with proper carbon chain length (C-4-C-8) as a cosurfactant of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) during the synthesis of MCM-41 in a dilute synthesis gel containing CTAB, tetraethyl orthosilicate, ammonium hydroxide, and water.