Electrosynthesis and Microstructural Characterization of Anodic VOx Films

Anodic conversion films of vanadium oxides on vanadium were potentiodynamically generated at high voltages in an acetate electrolyte system. The microstructure of the anodic VOx coatings was characterized by surface and solid-state techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An amorphous structure is proposed in which network-forming [VO4] tetrahedra in various degrees of condensation are connected by distorted [VO5] and [VO6] units. Such polyhedra lead to the formation of nanocrystalline phases of stoichiometric and substoichiometric vanadium oxides, which were observed in the amorphous phase.