Elucidating the Crystallite Size Dependence of the Thermochromic Properties of Nanocomposite VO Thin Films.

Fenestration elements that enable spectrally selective dynamic modulation of the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum are of great interest as a means of decreasing the energy consumption of buildings by adjusting solar heat gain in response to external temperature. The binary vanadium oxide VO exhibits a near-room-temperature insulator-metal electronic transition accompanied by a dramatic modulation of the near-infrared transmittance. The low-temperature insulating phase is infrared transparent but blocks infrared transmission upon metallization.

Ligand-Mediated Control of Dopant Oxidation State and X-ray Excited Optical Luminescence in Eu-Doped LaOCl.

The development of an expanded palette of X-ray phosphors is a critical imperative for applications in medical imaging, radiation detection, and scientific instrumentation. The rational design of X-ray phosphors has been stymied by the absence of fundamental understanding of activation channels, sensitization mechanisms, and recombination pathways induced upon high-energy excitation of luminescent centers. In this article, we describe the preparation of Eu-doped LaOCl nanocrystals based on the condensation of molecular precursors.

Mapping polaronic states and lithiation gradients in individual V2O5 nanowires.

The rapid insertion and extraction of Li ions from a cathode material is imperative for the functioning of a Li-ion battery. In many cathode materials such as LiCoO2, lithiation proceeds through solid-solution formation, whereas in other materials such as LiFePO4 lithiation/delithiation is accompanied by a phase transition between Li-rich and Li-poor phases. We demonstrate using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) that in individual nanowires of layered V2O5, lithiation gradients observed on Li-ion intercalation arise from electron localization and local structural polarization.

X-ray excited photoluminescence near the giant resonance in solid-solution Gd(1-x)Tb(x)OCl nanocrystals and their retention upon solvothermal topotactic transformation to Gd(1-x)Tb(x)F3.

Design rules for X-ray phosphors are much less established as compared to their optically stimulated counterparts owing to the absence of a detailed understanding of sensitization mechanisms, activation pathways and recombination channels upon high-energy excitation. Here, we demonstrate a pronounced modulation of the X-ray excited photoluminescence of Tb(3+) centers upon excitation in proximity to the giant resonance of the host Gd(3+) ions in solid-solution Gd1-xTbxOCl nanocrystals prepared by a non-hydrolytic cross-coupling method. The strong suppression of X-ray excited optical luminescence at the giant resonance suggests a change in mechanism from multiple exciton generation to single thermal exciton formation and Auger decay processes.

Emptying and filling a tunnel bronze.

The classical orthorhombic layered phase of VO has long been regarded as the thermodynamic sink for binary vanadium oxides and has found great practical utility as a result of its open framework and easily accessible redox states. Herein, we exploit a cation-exchange mechanism to synthesize a new stable tunnel-structured polymorph of VO (ζ-VO) and demonstrate the subsequent ability of this framework to accommodate Li and Mg ions. The facile extraction and insertion of cations and stabilization of the novel tunnel framework is facilitated by the nanometer-sized dimensions of the materials, which leads to accommodation of strain without amorphization.

Transformers: the changing phases of low-dimensional vanadium oxide bronzes.

In this feature article, we explore the electronic and structural phase transformations of ternary vanadium oxides with the composition MxV2O5 where M is an intercalated cation. The periodic arrays of intercalated cations ordered along quasi-1D tunnels or layered between 2D sheets of the V2O5 framework induce partial reduction of the framework vanadium atoms giving rise to charge ordering patterns that are specific to the metal M and stoichiometry x. This periodic charge ordering makes these materials remarkably versatile platforms for studying electron correlation and underpins the manifestation of phenomena such as colossal metal-insulator transitions, quantized charge corrals, and superconductivity.

Scalable hydrothermal synthesis of free-standing VO₂ nanowires in the M1 phase.

VO2 nanostructures derived from solution-phase methods are often plagued by broadened and relatively diminished metal-insulator transitions and adventitious doping due to imperfect control of stoichiometry. Here, we demonstrate a stepwise scalable hydrothermal and annealing route for obtaining VO2 nanowires exhibiting almost 4 orders of magnitude abrupt (within 1 °C) metal-insulator transitions. The prepared nanowires have been characterized across their structural and electronic phase transitions using single-nanowire Raman microprobe analysis, ensemble differential scanning calorimetry, and single-nanowire electrical transport measurements.