Morphology-controlled synthesis, characterization and growth mechanism of PbWO4 nano and macrocrystals

PbWO4 nano and macrocrystals with various morphologies have been synthesized via a wet chemical method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromine (CTAB). The morphological growth processes were investigated and a growth mechanism was proposed. Two different crystal growth processes, the Ostwald ripening process and the oriented attachment process, were held responsible for the formation of the spindle-shaped macrocrystals. The luminescence properties were investigated and the prepared structures displayed a very strong blue/green luminescence at the room temperature. Based on these properties, both the nano and macrostructure materials show promise for applications in the fabrication of photoelectric materials.