Nanofiber-to-nanorod transformation during annealing of electrochemically deposited vanadium oxide nanofibers

Na0.33V2O5 nanorods with high aspect to ratio have been obtained from Na+ intercalated V2O5 nanofibers in a one step annealing process. The solid state transformed nanorods present lengths of microns and widths around 400 nm. X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction analysis (SAED) indicate that the nanorods are in essence single crystals grown along the [010] direction with surface dominated by the (001) atomic planes. The morphology transformation is discussed in terms of a solid state transformation driven by a mass transport mechanism from nanofibers in order to form the nanorods. The results demonstrated the possibility to produce high crystalline Na0.33V2O5 nanostructures with potential application as cathode for energy storage devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.