Synthesis of self-assembled mesoporous 3D In 2 O 3 hierarchical micro flowers composed of nanosheets and their electrochemical properties.

This report describes the methodology for the fabrication of mesoporous In 2 O 3 microflowers by hydrothermal and calcination procedures in which In(OH) 3 /In 2 S 3 acts as an intermediate. Both In 2 O 3 and its precursor were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. BET surface area, pore size and pore volume analyses were also carried out. Electron microscopy images clearly evidence the self-assembly of 2D nanosheets into the micro flower structure. The mechanism of self-assembly and calcination is reported. Electrochemical properties of the synthesized In 2 O 3 micro flowers were studied.