Synthesis of vanadium oxide nanofibers and tubes using polylactide fibers as template

AbstractA new method to produce vanadium oxide nanofibers with dimensions <140 nm and tubes is reported.Vanadium oxide was coated on polylactide fibers by a sol–gel method using a reaction mix of ammonium vanadateand acetic acid as starting materials and water as solvent. Vanadium oxide tubes, of about 1 mm in diameter, wereformed when this coated fiber was heated in nitrogen and oxygen at 300 and 250 8C for 1 h. Hydrothermaltreatment of the polylactide fibers with the reaction mix at 160 8C for 12 h followed by heating in oxygen at 300 8Cfor 1 h formed vanadium oxide nanofibers, 60–140 nm in width and several microns in length. Electrochemicalstudies reveal that these vanadium oxide nanofibers are redox active and readily undergo reversible reactions withlithium in non-aqueous cells.# 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: A. Nanostructures; B. Chemical synthesis; B. Intercalation reactions; C. Electron diffraction; D. Electrochemicalproperties; D. Crystal structure 1. IntroductionWe are exploring the synthesis and properties of vanadium oxide nanotubes and nanofibers. There isconsiderable interest in the development of new synthetic routes to nanostructured materials. Chemicalstructures and systems within the size range from 1 to 100 nm in one, two, or three dimensions are typicalof such materials [1]. They attract considerable attention because of their novel and superior properties