Influence of Formation Conditions on Physicochemical Properties of CsxV2O5·nH2O

Cesium-containing compounds of hydrated vanadium(V) oxide of general formula Сs x V 2 O 5 ·n H 2 O, where 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.6 and 0.8 ≤ n ≤ 1.2, were prepared by hydrothermal, hydrolytic, and sol–gel processes. The preparation conditions were found to determine the intercalated cation (Cs + ) homogeneity range and the vanadium(IV) percentage in the samples. The prepared compounds were characterized by a set of physicochemical methods, namely, IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The Сs x V 2 O 5 ·n H 2 O compounds prepared by the hydrolytic and hydrothermal methods had the highest specific surface area, equal to 34.0 and 16.5 m 2 /g, respectively. The temperature-dependent electrical conductivities of Сs x V 2 O 5 ·n H 2 O samples were measured to estimate the activation energy of conduction in compounds having various vanadium(IV) percentages. It is only in the high-temperature range that the activation energy of conduction depended on the V 4+ percentage in the sample; the least value was found in the hydrothermally prepared Сs 0.6 V 2 O 5 ·H 2 O samples.