In2O3 nanowires were synthesized by thermal evaporation of In metal at 1000 degrees C on the An coated Si wafers. Formation of the nanowires was monitored at different stages of their growth via SEM studies. The vapor liquid-solid process was operative here as the growth mechanism. Room temperature photoluminescence studies of the In2O3 nanowires revealed a blue-green emission centered at similar to 470 nm. This was attributed to the singly ionized oxygen vacancy in the lattice of the In2O3 nanowires. Field emission property of the In2O3 nanowires was also studied which showed that the emission current density reaches a value 1 mA/cm(2) at a threshold field of about 4.68 V/mu m, which is comparable to that of the carbon nanotubes and ZnO nanowires. The field emission measurements indicated that the emission from In2O3 nanowires was suitable for the fabrication of flat panel displays. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.