Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Lanthanide Oxysulfide via a La(OH) ₃ Gel Solvothermal Route

A La(OH) 3 gel solvothermal process has been developed for the preparation of nanocrystalline lanthanide oxysulfide (La 2 O 2 S) in polar solvents at 300°C through a reaction between a La(OH) 3 gel and K 2 S. X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) indicated that the product was hexagonal La 2 O 2 S with cell parameters a = 4.046 Å and c = 6.951 Å. Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) showed that different morphology nanocrystallites were formed, including particles with diameters of about 10 nm and nanorods about 10 nm in diameter and 300 nm in length, depending on the solvent.