Facile preparation, characterization and optical properties of rectangular PbCrO4 single-crystal nanorods

Monoclinic PbCrO4 nanorods, with a rectangular cross section, a typical length of 6–7 μm, a width of 80–150 nm, and a width-to-thickness ratio of 2–5, have been successfully synthesized via a simple precipitation reaction, followed by a hydrothermal treatment without using any templates and additives. The as-synthesized products were characterized with X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence spectra. It was found that the length of as-obtained PbCrO4 nanorods relies on the pH value and the aging temperature, and the optical properties of PbCrO4 nanorods depend on their length. The intensities of UV–vis absorbance of PbCrO4 nanorods slightly decrease with increasing the length of nanorods. On the contrary, the intensities of room-temperature photoluminescence of PbCrO4 nanorods increase with increasing the length of nanorods.