A facile template-free synthesis of large-scale single crystalline Pr(OH)3 and Pr6O11 nanorods

Large-scale uniform Pr(OH)3 nanorods were prepared by a facile template-free precipitation method. Upon calcining, the Pr(OH)3 converted to Pr6O11 and largely retained the nanorod morphology. X-Ray diffraction and selected-area electron diffraction results indicated that the Pr(OH)3 and Pr6O11 nanorods had good hexagonal and cubic single crystalline structures, respectively. Thermal and surface properties were also characterized in detail by means of thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nitrogen physisorption.