Photocatalytic activity in monodisperse In2O3 nanocrystals incorporated into transparent silica glassy matrix.

A general and facile chemical synthesis approach has been established for the successful doping of monodisperse semiconducting In 2 O 3 nanocrystals inside a porous transparent silica glassy matrix. The preparation of silica glassy matrix loaded with specific In 2 O 3 precursors is performed by using the sol–gel method. Then, the samples are sintered by using atmosphere control methods to generate the In 2 O 3 nanocrystals growth inside the deep volume of the silica matrix. The resulting In 2 O 3 nanocrystals are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and transmission electron microscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared products is also measured, and the result shows that the photodegradation efficiency of silica glassy matrix has been significantly improved by doping In 2 O 3 nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]