Amine-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Lanthanide Hydroxide Nanorods and Derived Oxides

Abstract

One-step synthetic route has been developed for the preparation of Nd ( OH )3 nanorods in the presence of n-butylamine. The as-prepared sample is in hexagonal phase with good crystallinity, and made up of highly dispersed nanorods of 14–15 nm in diameter and up to 40–50 nm in length at 120°C for 24 h. Optical measurements show that these nanorods have intensive photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature and have the potential to become optical materials. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the Nd ( OH )3 nanorods reveals that the nanorods remain stable up to 220°C and decompose to the derived oxide of Nd 2 O 3 at higher temperatures. The derived oxides show the promise active catalyst for the oxidation of carbon monoxide. In addition, this synthetic route has been developed for the synthesis of a series of other lanthanide hydroxides nanorods including Pr ( OH )3, Sm ( OH )3, Eu ( OH )3, Gd ( OH )3, Tb ( OH )3 and Dy ( OH )3, and their PL properties, thermostability and catalytic properties are investigated.