Calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca-5(PO4)(3)(OH):HAP) nanorods have been synthesized successfully via wet chemical technique at low temperature in the presence of suitable surfactant. The as-made nanorods have a diameter of 50-80 nm and a length of 0.5-1.2 mum. The microstructures and composition are characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The formation mechanism of HAP nanorod is discussed in detail. It has been found that nanorods are pure, there is no HAP carbonated HAP. The growth mechanism of HAP nanorods could be explained by a soft template. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.