L-Cystine was successfully used as a novel kind of sulfur source to grow Sb2S3 nanoribbons at 18 for 24 h in a mixed solution made of ethylene glycol and distilled water. The nanoribbons were usual tens of micronmeters in length, typically 100-300 mn in width. The structure of the nanoribbons, determined to be of the orthorhombic phase. A reasonable possible mechanism for the growth of Sb nanoribbon structures has been proposed. The as-obtained Sb2S3 products were examined using division techniques including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fit emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-a electron diffraction, and high-resolution TEM. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.