PbWO4 nano and macrocrystals with various morphologies have been synthesized via a wet chemical method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammoniurn bromine (CTAB). The morphological growth processes were investigated and a growth mechanism was proposed. Two different crystal growth processes, the Ostwald ripening process and the oriented attachment process, were held responsible for the formation of the spindle-shaped macrocrystals. The luminescence properties were investigated and the prepared structures displayed a very strong blue/green luminescence at the room temperature. Based on these properties, both the nano and macrostructure materials show promise for applications in the fabrication of photoelectric materials. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.