Morphological control of PbWO4 crystals in the ethanol–water mixed system with an anionic surfactant

In an ethanol/water mixed solvent, the PbWO4 crystals with various sizes and shapes have been synthesized in the presence of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) at room temperature. The products were characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the ethanol/water volume ratio, the SDBS amount and the amount of reactants played a key role in the morphological control of the PbWO4 crystals. Various morphologies of PbWO4 crystals, such as nanoparticles, laths, fishbones, etc., could be obtained dependent on the experimental conditions. The possible mechanism for the formation of lathlike PbWO4 samples was discussed.