Hydrothermal Synthesis of V<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7</sub>.<sup>.</sup>H<sub>2</sub>O Nanobelts and Study of Their Electrochemical Properties

Abstract

Vanadium oxide hydrate V3O7..H2O (H2V3O8) nanobelts have been synthesized by hydrothermal approach using V2O5 as vanadium source and phenolphthalein as structure-directing agent. Techniques X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms have been used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the nanobelts. The V3O7. H2O nanobelts are up to several hundreds of nanometers, the widths and thicknesses are 90 and 40 nm, respectively. The electroactivity of the nanobelts has been investigated. The as-synthesized material is promising for chemical and energy-related applications such as catalysts, electrochemical device and it may be applied in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.