Side-by-Side In(OH)₃ and In₂O₃ Nanotubes: Synthesis and Optical Properties

• Main Authors: Tao Xiaojun, Sun Lei, Li Zhiwei, Zhao Yanbao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2009-01-01
• Series: Nanoscale Research Letters
• Subjects: Side-by-side; In(OH)₃; In₂O₃; Nanotubes; Wet-chemical approach
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11671-009-9493-5
• ISSN: 1931-7573; 1556-276X

<p>Abstract</p> <p>A simple and mild wet-chemical approach was developed for the synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) In(OH)₃ nanostructures. By calcining the 1D In(OH)₃ nanocrystals in air at 250 &#176;C, 1D In₂O₃ nanocrystals with the same morphology were obtained. TEM results show that both 1D In(OH)₃ and 1D In₂O₃ are composed of uniform nanotube bundles. SAED and XRD patterns indicate that 1D In(OH)₃ and 1D In₂O₃ nanostructures are single crystalline and possess the same bcc crystalline structure as the bulk In(OH)₃ and In₂O₃, respectively. TGA/DTA analyses of the precursor In(OH)₃ and the final product In₂O₃ confirm the existence of CTAB molecules, and its content is about 6%. The optical absorption band edge of 1D In₂O₃ exhibits an evident blueshift with respect to that of the commercial In₂O₃ powders, which is caused by the increasing energy gap resulted from decreasing the grain size. A relatively strong and broad purple-blue emission band centered at 440 nm was observed in the room temperature PL spectrum of 1D In₂O₃ nanotube bundles, which was mainly attributed to the existence of the oxygen vacancies.</p>