Size-controlled indium(III)-benzenedicarboxylate hexagonal rods and their transformation to In2O3 hollow structures

Size-controlled In2O3 hollow structures have been successfully prepared by a two-step process. Indium(III)-benzenedicarboxylate (In-BDC) hexagonal rods with different sizes were first obtained on a large scale via a simple solution reaction using indium(III) nitrate and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid as starting reactants and DMF as solvent with addition of sodium acetate. Then In2O3 hollow structures were prepared by annealing In-BDC complexes. It was found that the concentration of sodium acetate is important in determining the size of In-BDC hexagonal rods as well as the formation of In2O3 hollow structures. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). In addition, In2O3 hollow structures were further studied by Raman and room-temperature photoluminescence.