A carbothermal method combined with CVD has been developed to synthesize ZnS nanowires and their self-assemblies at low temperatures. In this process, active carbon serves as reductant to react with sulfur, which then goes on to form ZnS nanowires. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies indicate that the samples are single-crystal wurtzite ZnS and are rich in sulfur. The nanowires have diameters ranging from 20 to 60 nm. High-resolution electron