Fabrication and characteristics of β -Bi₂ O₃ nanowires prepared by heating a mixture of in and Bi powders

We studied the characteristics of tetragonal β -Bi₂ O ₃ nanowires synthesized by heating a mixture of Bi and In powders. Sufficient growth time and In powder ratio are required for the generation of nanowires. Based on our observations, we propose a Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid process as the dominant growth mechanism, in which In powder affects the morphology of nanowires. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis indicates that the nanowires exhibit emission bands centered at 1.58, 2.40, and 2.76 eV, regardless of the measurement temperature. The overall PL intensity tends to decrease as the measurement temperature increases.