Influence of dimensionality on phase transition in VO2 nanocrystals

Hydrothermally synthesized one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanocrystals of VO2 undergo phase transition around 65?C, where temperature and mechanism of phase transition are dependent on dimensionality of nanocrystals. Both nanocrystalline samples exhibit depression of phase transition temperature compared to the bulk material, the magnitude of which depends on the dimensionality of the nanocrystal. One-dimensional nanoribbons exhibit lower phase transition temperature and higher values of apparent activation energy than two-dimensional nanosheets. The phase transition exhibits as a complex process with somewhat lower value of enthalpy than the phase transition in the bulk, probably due to higher proportion of surface atoms in the nanocrystals. High values of apparent activation energy indicate that individual steps of the phase transition involve simultaneous movement of large groups of atoms, as expected for single-domain nanocrystalline materials.