Metal complex cobalt oxalate nanorods were synthesized in one step by low-heating temperature solid-state chemical reactions of cobalt salts and oxalic acid in the presence of a nonionic surfactant, polyethylene glycol (PEG). The compositions and morphologies of samples were characterized by XRD, TEM and SEM. These results show that one-dimensional cobalt oxalate nanorods can be obtained in only one-step via the solid-state reactions of cobalt salts and oxalic acid with the assistance of a suitable surfactant. The morphologies of these nanorods were influenced by the different cobalt salts and surfactant with different degree of polymerization. The surfactant PEG plays a soft-template role in the process of rod-formation and induces the nanocrystallites of products to grow in definite direction. It is also expected that the present synthetic method can be extended to prepare other functional complex nanomaterials with desired morphologies by means of choosing suitable surfactant to modify the interface of solid-state chemical reaction.

Key words: synthesis, nanorod, solid-state reaction, cobalt oxalate