A simple hydrothermal route to GaOOH intersecting-rods with regular diamond-like cross section

GaOOH crystals were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method at 90–200 °C for 18 h. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The rods synthesized at 110–150 °C exhibited intersecting morphology and regular diamond-like cross section with a diagonal length ratio of 2:1, and those synthesized at 180–200 °C exhibited nunchakus-like architecture. The formation of diamond-like cross section was due to homogeneous growth of lattice planes, namely {1 1 0}, along [4 1 0], [4 1¯ 0], [4¯ 1 0], and [4¯ 1¯ 0] directions of orthorhombic GaOOH. Moreover, the formation of the trunk was due to the growth along [0 0 1] direction.