Tailoring the dimensions of V2O5 nanoparticles by surfactant assisted non-aqueous sol-gel protocol and characterization

Highly monodisperse vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles were synthesized by surfactant assisted non-aqueous sol-gel technique and followed by sintering at 300°C. From the powder XRD studies, as-prepared V2O5 show the average particle size between 25-50 nm and sintered sample in the range 35-75 nm. DRS UV-Vis spectroscopy and PL spectral studies reveal the optical direct band gap values between 2.5-2.7 eV and confirm the blue shift due to quantum confinement effect. HRSEM and HRTEM images of as-prepared sample show less fuzzy product due to the agglomeration with surfactant (PEG 400). But sintered sample images exactly illustrate particle size and its morphology. SAED pattern displays the (001) and (110) diffraction plane of orthorhombic crystalline phase.