Photocatalytic activity in monodisperse In2O3 nanocrystals incorporated into transparent silica glassy matrix

•The silica glassy matrix doped with In2O3 NCs was prepared.•The microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the samples were investigated.•The influence of doping concentrations on the size of the In2O3 NCs was studied.•The photodegradation efficiency was improved by doping In2O3 NCs.

A general and facile chemical synthesis approach has been established for the successful doping of monodisperse semiconducting In2O3 nanocrystals inside a porous transparent silica glassy matrix. The preparation of silica glassy matrix loaded with specific In2O3 precursors is performed by using the sol–gel method. Then, the samples are sintered by using atmosphere control methods to generate the In2O3 nanocrystals growth inside the deep volume of the silica matrix. The resulting In2O3 nanocrystals are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and transmission electron microscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared products is also measured, and the result shows that the photodegradation efficiency of silica glassy matrix has been significantly improved by doping In2O3 nanocrystals.