Growth of In2O3 Nanowires Catalyzed by Cu via a Solid-Liquid-Solid Mechanism

In2O3 nanowires that are 10-50 nm in diameter and several hundred nanometers to micrometers in length have been synthesized by simply annealing Cu-In compound at a relatively low temperature of 550°C. The catalysis of Cu on the growth of In2O3 nanowires is investigated. It is believed that the growth of In2O3 nanowires is via a solid-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism. Moreover, photoluminescence (PL) peaks of In2O3 nanowires at 412 and 523 nm were observed at room temperature, and their mechanism is also discussed.