Synthesis, characterization and electrical proprieties study of layered benzyltrimethylammonium-vanadium pentoxide nanocomposites

Plate-like benzyltrimethylammonium-vanadium pentoxide intercalate compound have been synthesized by hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermal analysis techniques, and Raman spectroscopy have been used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the plates. The material has a layered structure with an interlayer spacing of about 1.369 nm. The width of the plates varies between 80 and 250 nm and a thickness around 40 nm. The influences of the reaction time on the morphology have been investigated. The electronic conductivity measurements show that the conductivity curve is described by an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 0.46 eV. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.