Synthesis and field-emission properties of In2O3 nanostructures

Large-scale indium oxide nano/microstructures have been successfully synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the synthesized two kinds of products display two-section awls (the shape of synthesized products is like the awl which consists of a short-thick section and a long-thin section) and microcube morphologies. The as-synthesized products, characterized by XRD and TEM, are pure, structurally uniform and single crystalline. Field-emission measurements of these nano/microstructures showed low turn-on field of 3.2 V mu m(-1) and 4.1 V mu m(-1). The results showed that the two-section awl-like structure which has nanometer tips has better field-emission properties than the cube, which makes indium oxide structures promising candidates for further applications in field-emission microelectronic devices. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.