InOOH hollow spheres synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction

Novel micrometer-sized indium oxyhydroxide (InOOH) hollow spheres were successfully synthesized via a citric acid (CA) assisted hydrothermal process. The morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties of the product were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The optical band gap, E-g, was estimated to be 3.5 eV from the DRS spectrum, which is almost equal to that of indium oxide. Furthermore, on the basis of a series of SEM observations, phenomenological elucidation of a mechanism for the growth of the InOOH hollow spheres has been presented; key factors for the formation of the structures have been proposed.