Synthesis and investigation of submicrometer spherical indium oxide particles

Spherical indium (In) oxide in submicrometer size is considered as a practical material in photonic bandgap applications. To obtain narrow size distribution, systematic studies of different conditions such as precursor concentration, reaction temperature, and other parameters have been carried out and are reported here. Tri- or dicarboxylic acid of citric acid (CA), malic acid, and tartaric acid were introduced into the reaction system and In-precipitates of spherical shape were produced. The particle size and internal morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis were performed. The reaction kinetics analysis shows that the reaction rate depends on the reaction temperature, urea, and In concentration rather than on CA.