Bicrystalline indium oxide nanobelts

Indium oxide (In2O3) nanobelts were synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition using thermal oxidation of In at 1000 degrees C. The nanobelts exhibited a unique bicrystalline structure that consisted of two single-crystalline cubic In2O3 nanobelts each having a different growth direction that often split along the twin boundary that exists at the centerline. The width of split nanobelts was 200-500 nm and the thickness was about 1/10 of the width. The growth direction of the bicrystals was [310]/[611] or [310]/[411]. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence were measured to characterize the crystalline nature of the nanobelts.