Indium Nitride Nanostructures Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Hydroxide Solution

Abstract

In this work, indium nitride (InN) nanoparticles were prepared by pulsed laser ablation (PLAL) by irradiation of In target immersed in NH₄OH solution. The crystalline structure of the prepared nanoparticles was found to be wurtzite with tending to much more crystallization when higher laser energy is used in preparation process. These nanoparticles show large aggregations to form reef-like structures. Using higher laser energy to prepare them has resulted in much more aggregations. No indium clusters were observed in the surface morphology of the prepared samples, indicating a complete reaction of indium with nitrogen. All functional groups constituting the indium nitride molecule were found in the prepared samples with no trace belonging to other materials, which reflects the high structural purity of the prepared nanoparticles. The absorbance of the prepared nanoparticles was found to depend on the laser energy used to prepare them, which determines the volume concentration of these nanoparticles, and hence the density of the solution to be measured.