Synthesis of MnWO(4) nanofibres by a surfactant-assisted complexation-precipitation approach and control of morphology.

Single-crystal MnWO(4) nanofibres with diameters as small as 3-4 nm and length up to 800-1000 nm have been successfully synthesized by a novel surfactant-assisted complexation-precipitation method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and electron diffraction (ED) were employed to study the crystal structure and morphologies of the products. Experiments show that the complexation and the surfactant are the crucial factors affecting the morphology of the products. The possible formation process and growth mechanism have been proposed.