Low-temperature chemical solution synthesis of dendrite-like La(OH)3 nanostructures and their thermal conversion to La2O3 nanostructures

A novel and simple chemical reaction method was developed to synthesize dendrite-like La(OH)3 nanostructures which was composed of centripetal arranged La(OH)3 nanorods with diameters of 50–100 nm and lengths of several micrometers. The effect of different alkaline sources on the morphology of La(OH)3 nanostructures was investigated. It is indicated that diethylenetriamine acts not only as an alkaline source, but also as a surfactant which induces the centripetal growth of La(OH)3 nanostructures. Moreover, dendrite-like La2O3 nanostructures were prepared by the calcination of La(OH)3 nanostructures at 750 °C. The morphology, structure, and composition of the as-synthesized products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD).