Control over the crystal phase, crystallinity, morphology of AgVO 3 via protein inducing process

A facile and bio-inspired route for the preparation of pure and highly crystalline metastable α-AgVO ₃ is presented. Three kinds of proteins (bovine hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin, and lysozyme) were employed as inducer, which had substantial effects on the nucleation and growth of α-AgVO ₃. Moreover, the amount of proteins also played a key role over the morphology and crystalline of products. The VO3-/protein complex acted as a driver to induce the formation of metastable phase, which was confirmed by resonance Rayleigh scattering and UV-vis absorption spectra. The results indicated that tailoring an interaction between protein and inorganic molecules was the key in bio-inspired selective synthesis of metastable phase, which may find applications in the design of other new functional inorganic materials. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.