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Porous FeVO4 nanorods: synthesis, characterization, and gas-sensing properties toward volatile organic compounds

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Abstract

This study reports a facile hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of shape-controlled FeVO4·1.1H2O nanorods and the subsequent conversion into FeVO4 nanorods upon calcination at 500 °C for 2 h. The lengths of the synthesized FeVO4 nanorods vary from 0.7–3.5 μm, with the widths ranging from 70–270 nm. The proposed synthesis strategy does not involve the use of surfactants and requires only a very short reaction time, which is highly beneficial for the scale-up preparation. The anions of the Fe precursor are found to directly influence the shape and composition of the resultant hydrated FeVO4 products, due to the differences in their ionic strength and their abilities to intercalate into the layered structure of FeVO4·1.1H2O. The Cl− ions are particularly useful in limiting the growth of the nanorods in the lateral direction without being strongly intercalated into the layered structure. The porous FeVO4 nanorods exhibit higher selectivity and sensitivity toward n-butanol compared to FeVO4 nanoparticles, due to the high surface area and porosity. The findings demonstrate for the first time the potential of nanosized FeVO4 as a sensor material for the detection of volatile gases.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Australian Research Council (ARC) projects and the access to the UNSW node of the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facilities (AMMRF). We also thank Dr. J. Scott of Particle Catalysis Group (PARTCAT) for the assistance with the BET measurements, Mr. Pramod Koshy for proof-reading the manuscript, and Ms. K. Levick and Ms. R. Wen for the HRTEM imaging.

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  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Yusuf V. Kaneti, Zhengjie Zhang, Jeffrey Yue, Xuchuan Jiang & Aibing Yu

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  1. Yusuf V. Kaneti
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  2. Zhengjie Zhang
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  3. Jeffrey Yue
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  4. Xuchuan Jiang
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Correspondence to Xuchuan Jiang.

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11051_2013_1948_MOESM1_ESM.docx

List of samples, schematic diagram of the gas sensing measurement system, N2 adsorption–desorption, FT-IR, XPS, size distribution and additional gas-sensor results. (DOCX 6225 kb)

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Kaneti, Y.V., Zhang, Z., Yue, J. et al. Porous FeVO4 nanorods: synthesis, characterization, and gas-sensing properties toward volatile organic compounds. J Nanopart Res 15, 1948 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1948-z

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