a simple and safe method for preparation of mg(oh)2 nanorods in ambient air

magnesium hydroxide mg(oh)2 nanorods with diameters of 90±10nm and lengths of more than 2μms were prepared by a simple route at ~75oc in ambient air. the approach is based on reaction of magnesium powder and de-ionized water without the use of any harmful, toxic or corrosive reagents. characterization using x-ray diffraction (xrd) shows single crystalline structure of mg(oh)2 (brucite) whereas scanning electron microscopy (sem) showed that nanorods are almost uniform in size. since only water is used as a solvent as well as a source of oxygen, we believe that this manufacturing process is suitable for mass production of nanostructures safely.