A Novel Solution Route for Preparing Indium Nanoparticles

In this paper, we report a novel preparation method for indium nanoparticles from bulk indium that involves surface oxidation and dispersion of indium droplets. Indium nanoparticles of well-defined size are obtained by dispersing melt indium in an appropriate solvent. Powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show the formation of indium nanoparticles possessing the same crystal structure as bulk indium and an average particle diameter of 30 nm. The samples display a strong surface plasmon absorption band at 240 nm, which indicates that the sample is metal indium and the particle size is less than 50 nm. Thermal analysis reveals that the samples contain at least 55 wt % organic solvent. Tribological results show that indium nanoparticles have good antiwear properties.