A facile hydrothermal route to synthesize novel PbI2 nanorods

We report the synthesis of PbI2 nanorods by reacting lead acetate with elemental iodine at room temperature by virtue of a wet chemical method at mild reactions. The diameters of the obtained PbI2 nanorods are about 54 nm. The present technique may open a new doorway to one-dimensional nanosized rods from the same kind of materials with irregular shape or large size. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible–near infrared analysis (UV–vis–NIR), photoluminescence measurements (PL) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize PbI2 nanorods. The as obtained products were analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction, which confirms the formation of solid PbI2 nanorods. From the UV–vis–NIR studies the band gap of PbI2 nanorod was estimated. The various functional groups present in the PbI2 nanorods were identified by FTIR analysis. Intense photoluminescence was also observed with some spectral tuning possibly giving a range of emission photon energies approximately spanning from 2.1 to 3.5 eV.

► The formation of higher dimensional crystals.
► Nucleation and growth rate of PbI2 crystals are fast at higher iodine concentration.
► Easily connected to each other to form 2D or 3D structures.
► EDTA has the reaction media for the solvothermal reaction.
► The growth of PbI2 crystals with compact and perfect structures.