Sol–gel derived tungsten oxide films with pseudocubic triclinic nanorods and nanoparticles

Sol–gel derived tungsten oxide (WO3) films were deposited using acetylated peroxotungstic acid as the precursor material adopting sol–gel dip coating route, followed by thermal treatment at 500 °C in air for 3 h. Structure–microstructure investigations of these films using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques revealed the films to exhibit nanorods as the major microstructural feature with combined nanowires and nanoparticles as a minor constituent. The kinetic mechanisms responsible for the formation of nanorods have also been elucidated. Both the nanorods and the particles exhibited a pseudocubic triclinic crystal structure.