Low temperature synthesis of nanocrystalline V2O5 using the non-hydrolytic sol–gel method

Vanadium oxide was synthesized using the non-hydrolytic sol-gel method. Reactions with two different vanadium precursors, VCl3 and VOCl3, were investigated at room temperature. All raw and heat-treated samples were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy coupled with scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. For the VCl3 precursor, crystalline V2O5 was formed following heat treatments between 200 and 250 °C. Broad diffraction features, indicative of nanocrystalline material, were observed in dried samples for VOCl3, while heat treatment to 250 °C produced well-crystallized V2O5. Interesting porous morphologies with large crystallographic coherence lengths were observed for the heat-treated samples.