Vanadium pentoxide nanowires preparation via kinetic control of vanadium oxytrichloride catalytic oxidation with APCVD

Abstract

Vanadium pentoxide nanowires were successfully fabricated using vanadium oxytrichloride oxidation with copper oxide nanoparticles serving as catalysts via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. Kinetic parameters such as temperature and flow velocity were proved to play important roles in the morphologic control of as-deposited product. Vanadium pentoxide nanowires with an average length of ∼10 μm and a diameter of 50–100 nm, were obtained under the optimum conditions. A root growth mechanism of nanowires was proposed that precursor was readily captured by catalyst nanoparticles at the beginning of deposition, forming nucleation sites. Subsequently, the anisotropic growth of vanadium pentoxide is primarily governed by energy minimization under the reaction rate limited conditions. The presence of oxygen vacancies in the nanowires was confirmed by Raman, XPS and photoluminescence characterization, indicating promising applications in functional materials manufacture. The novel route for preparing vanadium pentoxide nanowires provides an alternative pathway for transitioning traditional vanadium industry towards advanced functional materials development.