Green Synthesis, Characterization and Electrical Properties of Iron Doped Vanadium Oxide for Strain Gauges

A series of vanadium oxide (V2O5) nanoparticles containing small varying concentrations of iron (Fe) were synthesized using green protocol to test its suitability towards strain gauges. The morphological, structural, transmission spectral and the dielectric properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using SEM, HRTEM, XRD, FTIR and the LCR meter respectively. The structural analysis results depict a transformation from amorphous to orthorhombic cubic phased crystalline structure. The morphological data denote an improvement in the appearance of the samples without any cracks. A better electronic transition due to high activation energy was observed from the slight shift of the transmission spectral peaks towards the lower wave number. The improved conductivity from 5.37 to 12.51 S/m in conjunction with the better temperature characteristics, specially incase of 15 wt% Fe:V2O5 contributes to the enhanced sensitivity of the samples. The overall results from the characterization emphasize the synthesized nanoparticle’s remarkable attributes towards the fabrication of thin film strain gauges.