Crystalline neodymium carbonates were prepared by treating the amorphous precipitate formed from the reaction between neodymium chloride and ammonium bicarbonate under hydrothermal condition. Their composition, morphology and crystal phase were identified by means of elemental analysis, SEM and XRD. It was found that Nd2(CO3)3·2.5H2O with tengerite-type structure and sheet morphology was obtained when the feed molar ratio(FMR=n(NH4)2CO3/ NdCl3)was 2 or 1.8 and hydrothermally treated at 150 ℃ for 12h. However, orthogonal NdOHCO3 particles agglomerated with long rod crystals were formed when lowering FMR to 1.5 under the same hydrothermal condition. Phase transformation from tengerite-type Nd2(CO3)3·2.5H2O to orthogonal NdOHCO3 was occurred when increasing hydrothermal temperature or prolonging hydrothermal time, which is beneficial to the preparation of neodymium hydroxyl-carbonate with neodymium oxide content higher than 70%.
