Synthesis of Nb3.49N4.56O0.44 nanoplatelets and NbS2–Nb2O5 nanoflakes

Abstract Novel polygonal Nb 2 O 5 platelets have been generated by a simple solvothermal technique. Then, the polygonal Nb 2 O 5 nanoflakes as a template react chemically with NH 3 and H 2 S to generate polygonal Nb 3.49 N 4.56 O 0.44 nanoflakes and the polygonal NbS 2 –Nb 2 O 5 nanoflakes. Under optimal conversion conditions, the final geometry features of polygonal Nb 3.49 N 4.56 O 0.44 nanoflakes and the polygonal NbS 2 –Nb 2 O 5 nanoflakes are predetermined by the size and morphology of the Nb 2 O 5 platelets. TEM observation has showed that the Nb 2 O 5 nanoplatelets and Nb 3.49 N 4.56 O 0.44 nanoflakes consist of well-crystallized single crystals, the polygonal NbS 2 –Nb 2 O 5 nanoflakes are composed of phases of mixed oxide and sulphide. These new polygonal plate-like nanostructures are important for understanding nanostructure processing.