Fabrication and Characterization of Lu2O3 Nanowire Arrays by Sol-Gel Template Method Assisted with Ultrasonic Treatment

Lu2O3 nanowire arrays were fabricated by a Sol-Gel anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template method assisted with ultrasonic treatment. The structure and morphology of Lu2O3 nanowire arrays were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy disperse X-ray spectroscope (EDX), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results indicate that the as-prepared nanowire arrays consist of cubic structure of polycrystalline Lu2O3. The Lu2O3 nanowires are parallel to each other and quite uniform in diameter of about 200 nm. The formation mechanism of nanowires is also explored here. It is found that it is easy to evolve Lu2O3 into bamboo-like nanotubes without ultrasonic treatment. Compared with traditional Sol-Gel template method, a good filling of Lu2O3 nanowires embedded in the AAO template can be obtained by improved ultrasonicassisted technique. Ultrasonic treatment is useful to prepare for other nanowire arrays of different materials.