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

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 Nd2O3 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]