Molten salt synthesis and localized surface plasmon resonance study of vanadium dioxide nanopowders

Rutile-type vanadium dioxide nanopowders with four different sizes were successfully synthesized by carbothermal reducing V2O5 in KCl-LiCl molten salt. XRD and TEM characterizations suggested that vanadium dioxide particles formed by a broken and reunited process of vanadium oxide. Molten salt and organic carbon sources are crucial to the size of final particles. In the presence of the molten salt, the organic carbon with a shorter chain length would induce smaller particles. The UV-VIS-IR spectral measurements for as-prepared vanadium dioxide announced an obvious localized surface plasmon resonance band in the near infrared region at 90 deg. C. - Graphical abstract: Schematic illustration of the formation mechanism of VO2(M) nanoparticles in molten salt, particles size can be controlled by choosing organic carbon sources with different chain length.