Surfactant-assisted growth of multipod In(OH)3 microcrystals via facile hydrothermal process

Multipod structures In(OH)₃, even more than four rod-like pods unit at the same junction, have been successfully synthesized in high yields in the presence of cetyltrimethyl - ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant via a simple hydrothermal process. The diameter of each pod of these multipod structures is quite uniform along its length, and the typical diameters of the pods range from 200 nm to 250 nm. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) spectra. It has been found that CTAB plays important roles in the formation of In(OH)₃ multipod structures. A possible growth mechanism is discussed.