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. •A facile synthetic route for the growth of single phase ZnV2O6 via a simple acid–base reaction.•ZnV2O6 nanorods possessed a single-phase monoclinic brannerite-type structure.•Exhibited a band gap of ∼2.06 eV and excellent photodetection properties in the visible light region of 635 nm.