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CuGeO3, a quasi-one-dimensional S = 1/2 antiferromagnet, is the first inorganic material to display a spin-Peierls transition (SP) in which the lattice of the S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic 1-D chain system undergoes dimerization below the transition temperature to give a singlet ground state. The sizedependent magnetic properties and SP transitions of CuGeO3 are little understood. In this paper, we report the size-controlled synthesis of CuGeO3 nanorods by a hydrothermal method via adjustment of the reaction conditions. The size-effect on their magnetic properties has been investigated. In smaller crystalline CuGeO3 nanorods (ca. <600 nm length), the SP transition is found to be quenched, demonstrating that the magnetoelastic coupling is blocked in these small nanorods. By contrast, longer CuGeO3 nanorods (∼600 nm to >2 μm length) show a weak SP transition. These findings demonstrate that size tuning is an effective tuning parameter for controlling the ground state properties of CuGeO3 and other magnetic materials where spin-lattice interactions are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]