Single phase ZnV₂O₆ nanorods with excellent visible light photodetection capability

We report a facile synthetic route for the growth of single phase ZnV₂O₆ nanorods via a simple acid–base reaction of the Lewis acid forms of ZnCl₂ and VCl₃ with NaOH in an aqueous solution followed by the thermal treatment of the resulting metal hydroxides on a SiO₂ substrate in air. The as-grown ZnV₂O₆ nanorods exhibited a well-defined rectangular cross-section with a width of approximately 300–350 nm and thickness of 100–150 nm, and they extended in random directions up to a length of 3 µm. The as-grown ZnV₂O₆ nanorods possessed a single-phase monoclinic brannerite-type structure, as determined via X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopic investigations. The synthesized ZnV₂O₆ sample exhibited a band gap of ∼2.06 eV and excellent photodetection properties in the visible light region of 635 nm, which is the band-edge wavelength. The new ZnV₂O₆ synthetic method proposed in this report could be used to develop various photocatalysts and energy conversion materials in the future.