Tuning the phase and morphology of In₂O₃nanocrystals via simple solution routes

By decomposing In(OH) 3 under different reaction conditions, In 2 O 3 nanocrystals with controllable phases and morphologies were synthesized. Metastable hexagonal In 2 O 3 nanocrystals were obtained by an alcoholysis process in ethanol, and followed by decomposition in air. The well-defined cubic In 2 O 3 nanocubes can be fabricated by treating In(OH) 3 in methanol at 250 °C for 25 h, whereas the replacement of the solvent by ethanol yields nanorods. The results indicated that the solvent, dopants, pressure, and reaction temperature are responsible for the variations of phases and morphologies. In addition, the photoluminescence properties of the products are strongly dependent on their phases, crystallinity, and morphologies.