Abstract: Cuprous oxide （Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O） nanorods with different slenderness ratios was synthesized via solvothermal treatment of CuSO<SUB>4</SUB>·5H<SUB>2</SUB>O and NaOH in the mixed solution of ethanol and deionized water at 140 ℃ for 6～10 h,in which ethanol was used as a reducing reagent.Phase composition and morphology of prepared Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanorods were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD） and high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）.Detection results indicated that the nanorods were well crystallized and uniform in size.It was also found in the experiment that reducibility of ethanol was influenced by temperature and water content in solvent.&nbsp;&nbsp; 