Stability Criteria of Fullerene-like Nanoparticles: Comparing V₂O5 to Layered Metal Dichalcogenides and Dihalides.

Numerous examples of closed-cage nanostructures, such as nested fullerene-like nanoparticles and nanotubes, formed by the folding of materials with layered structure are known. These compounds include WS₂, NiCl₂, CdCl₂, Cs₂O, and recently V₂O₅. Layered materials, whose chemical bonds are highly ionic in character, possess relatively stiff layers, which cannot be evenly folded. Thus, stress-relief generally results in faceted nanostructures seamed by edge-defects. V₂O₅, is a metal oxide compound with a layered structure. The study of the seams in nearly perfect inorganic "fullerene-like" hollow V₂O5 nanoparticles (NIF-V₂O₅) synthesized by pulsed laser ablation (PLA), is discussed in the present work. The relation between the formation mechanism and the seams between facets is examined. The formation mechanism of the NIF-V₂O5 is discussed in comparison to fullerene-like structures of other layered materials, like IF structures of MoS₂, CdCl₂, and Cs₂O. The criteria for the perfect seaming of such hollow closed structures are highlighted.