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 mu m, 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. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.