Preparation and characterization of oil-soluble LaF₃ nanoparticles

Oleic acid (OA) surface modified LaF₃ nanoparticles were prepared in alcohol-water mixture solvent. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fast transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the capped LaF₃ nanoparticles. Results show that the capped LaF₃ nanoparticles distribute uniformly with average diameter of about 8 nm. The structure of LaF₃ nanocore was hexagonal. Because of the modification agent OA reacted chemically with the LaF₃ nanoparticles, the dispersion capacity of OA capped LaF₃ nanoparticles in benzene and lubricating oil is improved effectively.