Direct growth of Nb2O5 nanobelts on Nb foil

Self-organized Nb₂O₅ nanobelt scaffolds and quasi-aligned bamboo slip-like Nb₂O₅ nanobelt arrays have been directly fabricated on Nb foils by a hydrothermal reaction in an alkaline solution followed by protonation and annealing. The length and width of the nanobelts can be controlled by varying the fabrication parameters such as reaction temperature, alkaline concentration, and reaction time. The morphology, structure and composition of the nanobelts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS).