Microwave-assisted synthesis of praseodymium hydroxide nanorods and thermal conversion to oxide nanorod

Pr(OH)(3) nanorods with uniform diameter of 12 nm and different lengths ranging from 50 to 220 nm were successfully prepared via a facile and rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Pr6O11 nanorods were also obtained from calcination of the as-prepared hydroxide nanorods as precursors at 500 degrees C for 6 h. The results showed that the Pr(OH)(3) with hexagonal phase and Pr6O11 nanorods with cubic phase have high crystallinity and purity. The mechanism for the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Pr(OH)(3) nanorods was preliminarily presented. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.