In this work, a fast (0.5 h), green microwave-assisted synthesis of single crystalline Sb2Se3nanowires was developed. For the first time we demonstrated a facile solvent-mediated process, whereby intrigu- ing nanostructures including antimony selenide (Sb2Se3 ) nanowires and selenium (Se) microrods can be achieved by merely varying the volume ratio of ethylene glycol (EG) and H 2 O free from expensive chem- ical and additional surfactant. The achieved uniform Sb2Se3nanowire is single crystalline along [001] growth direction with a diameter of 100 nm and a length up to tens of micrometers. When evaluated as an anode of lithium-ion battery, Sb2Se3nanowire can deliver a high reversible capacity of 650.2 mAh g ? 1 at 100 mA g ? 1 and a capacity retention of 63.8% after long-term 1000 cycles at 1000 mA g ? 1 , as well as superior rate capability (389.5 mAh g ? 1 at 2000 mA g ? 1 ). This easy solvent-mediated microwave syn- thesis approach exhibits its great universe and importance towards the fabrication of high-performance metal chalcogenide electrode materials for future low-cost, large-scale energy storage systems.