One-pot low temperature solvothermal synthesis of In2O3 and InOOH nanostructures

In2O3 nanopaticles/nanoflowers and InOOH nanorods were successfully synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal route at low temperature by using the suitable surfactant or simply tuning the amount of octane (C8H18). In the current work, the use of non-aqueous solvent anhydrous alcohol is a crucial factor for the formation of the In2O3 phase. Experimental results confirm that poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) plays a very important role in the formation process of In2O3 nanoflowers, while cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has no effect on the size and morphology of the final products; reaction temperature and reaction time have direct influence on the crystal phase of the final products; the amount of the solvent octane not only influences the crystal phase of the final products, but also has an obvious effect on their morphology. On the basis of our experimental results, detailed formation mechanisms for the In2O3/InOOH phase and nanostructures were proposed. The optical properties of In2O3 nanopaticles/nanoflowers were also studied.