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A study investigated the morphology and topochemical reactions of as-synthesized and diamine-exchanged mesoporous vanadium oxide nanotubes. Results point to a structure consisting of simultaneous VO4 tetrahedra and VO5 square pyramids. These synthesized vanadium oxide nanotubes are unique compared to the steadily increasing family of mesoporous metal oxides with a lamellar structure because of their tubular morphology and well-structured walls.

A nonaqueous liquid-phase route involving the reaction of vanadium oxychloride with benzyl alcohol leads to the formation of single-crystalline and semiconducting VO 1.52(OH) 0.77 nanorods with an ellipsoidal morphology, up to 500 nm in length and typically about 100 nm in diameter. Composition, structure, and morphology were thoroughly analyzed by neutron and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction as well as by different electron microscopy techniques (SEM, (HR)TEM, EDX, and SAED). The data obtained point to a hollandite-type structure which, unlike other vanadates, contains oxide ions in the channels along the c-axis, with hydrogen atoms attached to the edge-sharing oxygen atoms, forming OH groups. According to structural probes and magnetic measurements (1.94 mu B/V), the formal valence of vanadium is +3.81 (V (4+)/V (3+) atomic ratio approximately 4). The experimentally determined density of 3.53(5) g/cm (3) is in good agreement with the proposed structure and nonstoichiometry. The temperature-dependent DC electrical conductivity exhibits Arrhenius-type behavior with a band gap of 0.64 eV. The semiconducting behavior is interpreted in terms of electron hopping between vanadium cations of different valence states (small polaron model). Ab initio density-functional calculations with a local spin density approximation including orbital potential (LSDA + U with an effective U value of 4 eV) have been employed to extract the electronic structure. These calculations propose, on the one hand, that the electronic conductivity is based on electron hopping between neighboring V (3+) and V (4+) sites, and, on the other hand, that the oxide ions in the channels act as electron donors, increasing the fraction of V (3+) cations, and thus leading to self-doping. Experimental and simulated electron energy-loss spectroscopy data confirm both the presence of V (4+) and the validity of the density-of-states calculation. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate strongly frustrated antiferromagnetic interactions between the vanadium ions. A model involving the charge order of the V (3+) sites is proposed to account for the observed formation of the magnetic moment below 25 K.

Here, we present a systematic study on the influence of the bioligand deferoxamine mesylate on the crystallization and assembly behavior of tungsten oxide in a soft-chemistry process. Without deferoxamine mesylate, this approach yields pseudo-single crystalline tungstite nanoplatelets consisting of a large number of crystallographically almost perfectly aligned primary crystallites. In the presence of a constant amount of deferoxamine, the particle morphology drastically changes with temperature, ranging from wormlike organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures to single-crystalline tungsten oxide nanowires, highlighting the role of the bioligand in controlling the crystal growth and assembly behavior. The nanowires have a uniform diameter of about 1.3 nm, an aspect ratio of more than 500, and the structural flexibility of tungsten oxide. The presented process is based on the combination of biomimetic construction principles with nonaqueous sol-gel chemistry, thus combining the advantages of both tools, excellent control over particle morphology and high crystallinity at low temperature.

A widely applicable solvothermal route to nanocrystalline iron, indium, gallium, and zinc oxide based on the reaction between the corresponding metal acetylacetonate as metal oxide precursor and benzylamine as solvent and reactant is presented. Detailed XRD, TEM, and Raman studies prove that, with the exception of the iron oxide system, where a mixture of the two phases magnetite and maghemite is formed, only phase pure materials are obtained, gamma-Ga(2)O(3), zincite ZnO, and cubic In(2)O(3). The particle sizes lie in the range of 15-20 nm for the iron, 10-15 nm for the indium, 2.5-3.5 nm for gallium, and around 20 nm for zinc oxide. GC-MS analysis of the final reaction solution after removal of the nanoparticles showed that the composition is rather complex consisting of more than eight different organic compounds. Based on the fact that N-isopropylidenebenzylamine, 4-benzylamino-3-penten-2-one, and N-benzylacetamide were the main species found, we propose a detailed formation mechanism encompassing solvolysis of the acetylacetonate ligand, involving C-C bond cleavage, as well as ketimine and aldol-like condensation steps.

A novel nonaqueous route for the preparation of nanocrystalline BaTiO(3), SrTiO(3), and (Ba,Sr)TiO(3) has been developed. In a simple one-pot reaction process, the elemental alkaline earth metals are directly dissolved in benzyl alcohol at slightly elevated temperatures. After the addition of Ti(O(i)Pr)(4), the reaction mixture is heated to 200 degrees C, resulting in the formation of a white precipitate. XRD measurements prove the exclusive presence of the perovskite phase without any other crystalline byproducts such as BaCO(3) or TiO(2). TEM investigations reveal that the BaTiO(3) nanoparticles are nearly spherical in shape with diameters ranging from 4 to 5 nm. The SrTiO(3) particles display less uniform particle shapes, and the size varies between 5 and 10 nm. Lattice fringes observed in HRTEM measurements further prove the high crystallinity of the nanoparticles. Surprisingly, GC-MS analysis of the reaction solution after hydrothermal treatment shows that hardly any ether formation occurs during the BaTiO(3) synthesis. Instead, the presence of 4-phenyl-2-butanol in stoichiometric amounts gives evidence that the formation mechanism proceeds mainly via a novel pathway involving C-C bond formation between benzyl alcohol and the isopropanolate ligand.

The reaction of transition metal chlorides with benzyl alcohol leads at low temperatures to oxidic nanostructures with low-dimensional particle shapes such as nearly spherical titania anatase nanoparticles, vanadium oxide nanorods, and tungsten oxide nanoplatelets. The process is simple, allows a scale-up in gram quantities, and leads to highly crystalline materials. Ethanol solutions containing tungsten oxide nanoparticles exhibit blue luminescence upon UV irradiation at room temperature.