We demonstrate herein that single-crystalline beta-cobalt hydroxide (beta-Co(OH)(2)) nanosheets can be successfully synthesized in large quantities by a facile hydrothermal synthetic method with aqueous cobalt nitrate as the cobalt source and triethylamine as both an alkaline and a complexing reagent. This synthetic method has good prospects for the future large-scale production of single-crystalline beta-Co(OH)(2) nanosheets owing to its high yield, low cost, and simple reaction apparatus. Single-crystalline porous nanosheets and nanorings of cobalt oxide (Co(3)O(4)) were obtained by a thermal-decomposition method with single-crystalline beta-Co(OH)(2) nanosheets as the precursor. A probable mechanism of formation of beta-Co(OH)(2) nanosheets, porous Co(3)O(4) nanosheets, and Co(3)O(4) nanorings was proposed on the basis of the experimental results.