Tungsten oxide tree-like structures

Yan Qiu Zhu, Weibing Hu, Wen Kuang Hsu, Mauricio Terrones, Nicole Grobert, Jonathan P. Hare, Harold W. Kroto, David R.M. Walton, Humberto Terrones

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

164 Scopus citations

Abstract

An interesting micrometer scale tree-like structure has been generated by heating a W foil, partly covered by a SiO2 plate, in an Ar atmosphere at ca. 1600°C. Upon sonication, the trees are broken into nanoneedles (ca. 5-50 nm wide and 20-200 nm long) and planar polyhedral nanoparticles (ca. 10-50 nm cross-section). Structural analysis, using ED, EDX, XRD, and HRTEM, showed that: (1) the trees consist of well-crystallised WOx phases (x=0-3); (2) the nanoneedles are composed mainly of monoclinic W18O49 phases; and (3) the nanoparticles consist primarily of WO3. The tree growth is thought to arise from the intrinsic crystalline feature of WOx, the planar defect or the shear structure of which is responsible for the breakdown of the trees.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)327-334
Number of pages8
JournalChemical Physics Letters
Volume309
Issue number5-6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 20 1999

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tungsten oxide tree-like structures'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this