Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
We have succeeded in preparing submicron-sized monodisperse spherical V2O5 particles by hydrolysis of vanadium isopropoxide (VO(OiPr)3) in acetone/pyridine (Py) mixture solution for the first time. These particles had almost perfect spherical shape and were non-agglomerated. Their size could be easily controlled from 200 to 800 nm by changing the concentration of pyridine while keeping narrow size distribution (standard deviation, ca. 7%). Elemental and Fourier Transform Infrared analyses revealed that these particles have a composition of V2O5.xPy.yH2O (x ≈ 0.8, y ≈ 0.9) independent of their size. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that these particles have layered structure similar to that of V2O5.nH2O xerogel with an interlayer spacing of ca. 1.05 nm independent of their size, possibly due to the intercalation of H2O and pyridine between the V2O5 sheets.