Synthesis of ultrafine lanthanum hydroxide nanorods by a simple hydrothermal process

Lanthanum hydroxide (La(OH)₃) nanorods with 6–15 nm in width and 200–400 nm in length have been prepared by a simple hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the nanorods are of hexagonal structure, and furthermore, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) identifies that the lanthanum hydroxide nanorods are highly crystalline. Moreover, the mechanism for the hydrothermal synthesis of lanthanum hydroxide nanorods has been preliminarily presented.