The synthesis and growth mechanism of bamboo-like In2O3 nanowires

Bamboo-like In(2)O(3) nanowires are successfully synthesized at 850 degrees C by a simple thermal evaporation method with an Au catalyst. The morphology of In(2)O(3) nanowires is controlled by the N(2) flow rate. Three different morphologies-straight, bamboo-like, and bent and tangled-are obtained under N(2) flow rates of 500, 700, and 1000 sccm, respectively. A possible growth mechanism of the bamboo-like In(2)O(3) nanowires is proposed. The bamboo-like In(2)O(3) nanowires consist of a stem and nodes, which are formed by rapid precipitation and oxidation processes of indium from an In-rich Au-In alloy at the bottom of an Au catalyst during their growth. Low-temperature photoluminescence of the In(2)O nanowires shows a sharp blue emission at 440 nm and a broad orange emission centered at 620 nm. The possible origin of the orange emission is discussed.