Effect of sodium oxide doping on solid-solid interactions between V2O5 AND Al2O3

A V₂O₅/Al₂O₃ mixed solids sample was prepared with a molar ratio of 0.41 Na₂O (4 and 10 mol%) was added in the form of sodium nitrate prior to calcination in air in the temperature range 500–1000C. Solid-solid interactions between V₂O₅ and Al₂O₃ were studied using DTA and TG curves and their derivatives together with XRD techniques.The results obtained showed that Na₂O interacted with V₂O₅ at temperatures starting from 500C to yield a sodium/vanadium compound, Na_0.3V₂O₅ which remained stable and decomposed in part by heating at 1000C. V₂O₅ exists in orthorhombic and monoclinic forms in the case of pure mixed solids and those containing 4 mol% of Na₂O and preheated at 500C, and in monoclinic form in the case of the mixed solid doped with 10 mol% of Na₂O.Heating of pure and doped mixed oxide solids at 650C resulted in the conversion of most of the V₂O₅ into AlVO₄. Doping with sodium oxide enhanced the solid-solid interaction between V₂O₅ and Al₂O₃ at 650C to produce AlVO₄. The produced AlVO₄ decomposed completely on heating at 700C to form -Al₂O₃ and V₂O₅, (orthorhombic and monoclinic forms).The presence of Na₂O was found to decrease the relative intensity of the diffraction lines of -Al₂O₃ (corundum) produced at 750C which indicated some kind of hindrance of the crystallization process.Heating of pure and doped mixed solids at 1000C resulted in a further crystallization of acorundum together with V₂O₅ and sodium vanadate, Na_0.3V₂O₅. However, the intensities of diffraction lines relative to those of the sodium vanadium compound were found to decrease markedly by heating at 1000C, indicating partial thermal decomposition into vanadium and aluminium oxides.