Fabrication of V₂O₅ super long nanobelts: Optical, in situ electrical and field emission properties

In this study, we have used a facile, economical and scalable synthetic technique for the fabrication of super long V₂O₅ nanobelts. The as synthesized product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The nanobelts had an optical bandgap of 2.3 eV. The Raman spectrum confirmed the pure state of the V₂O₅ nanobelts. A low turn-on field of 1.4 V μm^-1 and a threshold field of 2.13 V μm^-1 were obtained for the V₂O₅ super long nanobelts. Carrier concentrations, N_d = 1.48 × 10¹⁸ cm^-3; electron mobility = 1.26 cm² V^-1 s^-1; and conductivity = 36.1 S m^-1 were calculated using the metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) model. Field emission measurements along with the electrical characteristics of V₂O₅ nanobelts indicate that they could be promising candidates for applications in field emission displays, electron emission devices and vacuum microelectronic devices.