Solvothermal synthesis of Mg(OH)2nanotubes using Mg10(OH)18Cl2·5H2O nanowires as precursors

Abstract

Nanotubes of Mg(OH)₂ have been synthesized by a simple solvothermal method using Mg₁₀(OH)₁₈Cl₂·5H₂O nanowires as precursors without any surfactant or catalyst. XRD, TEM, ED and HRTEM have been used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the nanotubes. The significant variation of intensity between the (001) and other lattice planes indicates preferential growth of the nanotubes. TEM results show the nanotubes are well-crystallized, and the nanotubes are 80–150 nm in outer diameter, 30–50 nm in wall thickness, and 5–10 µm in length. The ED pattern reveals that the Mg(OH)₂ nanotubes are single crystals, and the nanotubes grow along the [110] direction. This conclusion was supported by HRTEM studies. The advantages of our method for the nanotubes synthesis lie in the high yield and the low temperature and mild reaction conditions, which permit large scale production at low cost.