Biomolecule-Assisted Synthesis of In(OH)3 Hollow Spherical Nanostructures Constructed with Well-Aligned Nanocubes and Their Conversion into C-In2O3

In this work, we demonstrate that indium hydroxide (In(OH)(3)) nanospheres with hollow interior, whose shells are constructed of oriented-attachment nanocubes, have been fabricated via a DL-asparagine-assisted synthesis route without any template. NH3 and DL-aspartic acid from the hydrolysis Of DL-asparagine act as the OH(-)provider and the capping molecule, respectively. A detailed mechanism, involving dissolution-recrystallization and oriented aggregation processes, has been investigated on the basis of time-dependent experimental results. By annealing ln(OH)(3) precursors at 400 degrees C in air, cubic-phase indium sesquioxide (C-In2O3) nanocrystals, which inherit the morphology of their precursors, are also prepared.