A novel and simple chemical reaction method was developed to synthesize dendrite-like La(OH)_3 nanostructures which was composed of centripetal arranged La(OH)_3 nanorods with diameters of 50–100 nm and lengths of several micrometers. The effect of different alkaline sources on the morphology of La(OH)_3 nanostructures was investigated. It is indicated that diethylenetriamine acts not only as an alkaline source, but also as a surfactant which induces the centripetal growth of La(OH)_3 nanostructures. Moreover, dendrite-like La_2O_3 nanostructures were prepared by the calcination of La(OH)_3 nanostructures at 750 °C. The morphology,structure, and composition of the as-synthesized products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy,field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), and X-ray powder diffraction(XRD).
