Tuning of Structural and Morphological Characteristics of V2O5 Thin Films Using Low Energy 16 keV N + for Optical and Wetting Applications

Effect of nitrogen (N ^+ ) ion implantation on the morphological, structural, optical, and compositional properties of vanadium pentoxide (V _2 O _5 ) thin films grown on glass substrates is studied. Surface morphology shows the formation of grains and the growth dynamics is governed by roughness ( α ) and growth ( β ) exponents. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that V _2 O _5 exists in a hybrid form, with properties of both the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. Ion implantation induces defects and strain in V _2 O _5 thin films causing a reduction in crystalline properties and deformation in the β -phase with a corresponding change in crystallite size. Contact angle wetting properties are found to be co-related with fractal growth of the films under ion implantation. Oxygen vacancies and electron scattering/trapping centres are revealed to have increased after N ^+ implantation, leading to a smaller bandgap in the thin films. The benefits of decreasing the optical band-gap of V _2 O _5 thin films for optical applications are outlined in the present work.