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 gamma-irradiated indium acetate precursors. The as-prepared In2O3 nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and TG techniques. The results showed that preirradiation to indium acetate with 102 KGy gamma-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 gamma-irradiated case the particles showed coral-like structure. The as-synthesized In2O3 nanoparticles prepared using gamma-irradiated precursor showed higher thermal stability compared with those prepared using un-irradiated one. The results were discussed in view of the role of gamma-irradiation on the morphology and thermal behavior of In2O3 nanoparticles.