Direct synthesis of porous/hollow magnesium carbonate hydroxide spindly nanorods and their application in water treatment

Spindly Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O nanorods with porous and hollow nanostructures were synthesized in a water-in-oil reverse microemulsion system of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/water/cyclohexane/n-pentanol. These nanorods were characterized by a number of physical techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Comparison experiments showed that fundamental experimental parameters, such as the molar ratio of H2O to CTAB and the concentration of reactants, were important in the morphological control of Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O nanostructures. The potential applications of the as-synthesized Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O nanorods in water treatment were also investigated.