Microwave-assisted synthesis and characterisation of uniform LaPO4 nanorods

Lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4) phosphor materials with one-dimensional (1D) nanorods and nanoparticles were successfully synthesised from LaCl3 center dot 7H(2)O and Na3PO4 center dot 12H(2)O with pH adjusted at the range 1-6 using 37% HNO3 by the microwave radiation at 180 W for 60 min. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the as-synthesised products were hexagonal LaPO4 nanostructures. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses showed that these products were nanoparticles, short and long nanorods, controlled by pH of the precursor solutions. Asymmetric stretching and bending vibrations of the PO43- groups were detected using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. A possible formation mechanism of LaPO4 phosphor materials with 1D nanorods and nanoparticles was also proposed according to the experimental results.