Monoclinic and hexagonal CePO4 nanoparticles and nanorods were successfully synthesized from Ce(NO3)3·6H2O and Na3PO4·12H2O solutions at pH 1-5 by a 180 W microwave radiation for 60 min.The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy,and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).XRD pattems revealed that the products are hexagonal CePO4 structures at pH 2-5,and monoclinic CePO4 structures at pH 1.SEM characterization shows that these products were nanoparticles,short nanorods,and long nanorods,controlled by the pH of the precursor solutions.Optical properties of the nanorods were also investigated by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy.