Radiation induced synthesis of In2O3 nanoparticles - part 1: synthesis of In2O3 nanoparticles by sol-gel method using un-irradiated and γ-irradiated indium acetate

Pure phase of In2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method in non-aqueous medium using un-irradiated and γ-irradiated indium acetate precursors. The as-prepared In2O3 nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and TG techniques. The results showed that pre-irradiation to indium acetate with 10² KGy γ-ray absorbed dose has significant effects on the shape and size of the as-synthesized In2O3 nanoparticles. In case of un-irradiated precursor, the SEM images show agglomerated and disordered spherical nanoparticles. In γ-irradiated case the particles showed coral-like structure. The as-synthesized In2O3 nanoparticles prepared using γ-irradiated precursor showed higher thermal stability compared with those prepared using un-irradiated one. The results were discussed in view of the role of γ-irradiation on the morphology and thermal behavior of In2O3 nanoparticles.