Investigating the physical and electrical properties of La2O3 via annealing of La(OH)3

A simple technique was utilized to fabricate pure hexagonal La₂O₃ nanorods by utilizing lanthanum(III) nitrate hexahydrate (La(NO₃)₃·6H₂O) and ammonia (NH₄OH). The La₂O₃ nanoparticles were analyzed using XRD, TGA, Raman, SEM, FTIR, TEM, PL spectroscopy, and Mott–Schottky techniques. The XRD analysis confirmed the production of La(OH)₃ nanorods under appropriate conditions, which were then successfully converted into La₂O₂CO₃ and finally into La₂O₃ nanorods through annealing. The TGA analysis showed that the total weight loss was due to water evaporation and the dissolution of minimal moisture present in the environment. The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups. The SEM analysis revealed changes in morphology. The TEM analysis to determine the particle size. The PL findings showed three emission peaks at 390, 520, and 698 nm due to interband transitions and defects in the samples. The Mott–Schottky analysis demonstrated that the flatband potential and acceptor density varied with annealing temperature, ranging from 1 to 1.2 V and 2 × 10¹⁸ to 1.4 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, respectively. Annealing at 1000 °C resulted in the lowest resistance to charge transfer (Rct).