Synthesis and characterization of V ₂O ₃ nanorods

In this work, VO ₂ nanorods have been initially generated as reactive nanoscale precursors to their subsequent conversion to large quantities of highly crystalline V ₂O ₃ with no detectable impurities. Structural changes in VO ₂, associated with the metallic-to- insulating transition from the monoclinic form to the rutile form, have been investigated and confirmed using X-ray diffraction and synchrotron data, showing that the structural transition is reversible and occurs at around 63 °C. When this VO ₂ one-dimensional sample was subsequently heated to 800 °C in a reducing atmosphere, it was successfully transformed into V ₂O ₃ with effective retention of its nanorod morphology. We have also collected magnetic and transport data on these systems that are comparable to bulk behavior and consistent with trends observed in previous experiments.