Chemical reactions under autogenic pressure at elevated temperature to fabricate photo-luminescent Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals and their coatings

Nanocrystalline (<20 nm) gallium oxide coating on in situ formed amorphous carbon spheres is achieved by the controlled chemical reaction of gallium triacetylacetonate under autogenic pressure at elevated temperature (700°C) in an inert atmosphere. The as-prepared nanocomposite was further heated to 500°C for 1 h in an air atmosphere to produce neat Ga ₂O₃ nanocrystals. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements confirmed that the neat Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals exhibited enhanced PL intensity compared to Ga₂O ₃ nanocrystals coated on carbon spheres. Moreover, the diverse ability of the autogenic process to coat pristine stainless steel plate with micron sized (<1 μm) Ga₂O₃ particles is demonstrated. This is a noteworthy advancement in the field of nanofabrication processes. The methodical morphological, compositional and structural characterizations of the products are carried out and plausible mechanistic elucidation of their formation is reported.