Effect of the pH pre-adjustment on the formation of In2W3O12 and In6WO12 powders: Cluster coordination and optical band gap

In this communication, diindium tristungstate (In2W3O12) and hexaindium tungstate (In6WO12) powders were synthesized by the co-precipitation method at different pH values and heat treatment at 1073K for 2h. X-ray diffraction patterns and Rietveld refinements were employed to analyze the long-range structural ordering as well as quantify the presence crystallographic phases, respectively. All powders obtained in pH ranging from 2 to 3.5 exhibited a mixture of In2W3O12 and gamma-tungsten oxide (γ-WO3) phases. When prepared at pH close to 4, the powders presented both In2W3O12 and In6WO12 phases. All these crystalline structures were simulated in a three-dimensional visualization program by adopting the Rietveld refinements analysis as input data. The ultraviolet–visible spectra were employed to estimate the optical band gap energy of all powders for the first time.