Indium oxide nanostructures with different morphologies have been synthesized on the surface of Si substrates by heating indium grains coated with an Au layer on the Si foils at 800 ℃ under the flow of a gas mixture of N₂/H₂O. Otahedrons, nanobelts, dentate nanowires, and nanocrystal chains of In₂O₃ were grown in the different regions of the Si substrates. The as-synthesized products were characterized by means of Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the octahedrons, nanobelts, dentate nanowires and nanocrystal chains of In₂O₃ are single crystalline phase with the body-center cubic structure. The growth process of octahedrons, nanobelts, dentate nanowires and nanocrystal chains of In₂O₃ was analyzed in detail according to vapor-solid and vapor-liquid-solid mechanisms, and the growth models of these nanostructures with different morphologies were proposed.

Key words: In₂O₃; octahedrons, dentate nanowires, nanocrystal chains, controlled synthesis