A mesostructured tungsten disulfide (WS(2)) material was prepared through a solid-phase reaction utilizing ammonium tetrathiotungstate as the precursor and n-octadecylamine as the template. The as-synthesized WS(2) material was characterized by X-ray powder Diffraction (XRD), Low-temperature N(2) Adsorption (BET method), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The characterization results indicate that the WS(2) material has the typical mesopore structure (3.7 nm) with a high specific surface area (145.9 m(2)/g), and large pore volume (0.18 cm(3)/g). This approach is novel, green and convenient. The plausible mechanism for the formation of the mesostructured WS(2) material is discussed herein. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.