In the present paper, we report the successful synthesis of a thioglycolic acid capped ZnS(Pn) 0.5 nanotubes (Pn=propanediamine) by a simple aqueous solution route employing ZnS(Pn) 2 and TGA as a reactant at relatively low temperature. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). The effect of TGA concentration, on shapes and size of as-prepared product has been investigated. The thioglycolic acid capped ZnS(Pn) 0.5 nanotubes showed considerable blue shift in comparison of bulk ZnS because of quantum confinement effect.