The electric field gradient at111Cd in vanadium oxides

The electric field gradient (efg) of¹¹¹Cd in polycrystalline V₂O₅ was studied using perturbed angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy, with the¹¹¹In activity ion-implanted at 400 keV. Between the individual steps of an isochronal annealing program, a distinct efg (v_Q1=88.1(3) MHz, ₁=0.62(2)) was recorded the contribution of which increased with annealing temperature up to 74% at 870 K. Corresponding X-ray analysis of inactive V₂O₅ samples, which underwent the same annealing treatment, proved that the sample always stayed as V₂O₅. Since V₂O₅ has only one equivalent cation site, it is concluded that this efg belongs to¹¹¹Cd at this site. Oxidation of a vanadium foil atT=675 and 800 K at=200 mbar also yielded this efg. From PAC measurements in VO₂, two well-defined efg's were found above and below the metal-semiconductor transition at 340 K, which are tentatively attributed to the monoclinic and the tetragonal phase.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and DAAD.On leave from the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa.