Niobium(V) ethoxide

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Niobium(V) ethoxide is a metal-organic compound that dimerizes in solution to form Nb₂(OEt)₁₀ molecules. At room temperature, it is a colorless liquid that is miscible with some organic solvents, but which hydrolyzes readily. Niobium(V) ethoxide freezes at 5 °C and boils at 142 °C at 0.1 mmHg. It can be synthesized by the electrochemical reaction of ethanol with niobium plate and stainless-steel electrodes in the presence of tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC) as the conductive additive.

Niobium(V) ethoxide is a synthetic precursor for niobium oxides, for example Nb₂O₅ , NaNbO₃ , andTiNb₂O₇. Niobium(V) ethoxide is commonly used in colloidal solution-based syntheses like sol-gel processing and electrospinning. These chemistries allow researchers to control the microstructure to form gels , nanofibers , nanotubes , and microspheres. Niobium(V) ethoxide is also commonly added to other metal alkoxides to dope metal oxides, most commonly titania, with niobium.

Because of its low boiling point and low decomposition temperature (~325-350 °C),niobium(V) ethoxide is also used as a precursor in atomic-layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of niobium oxides.

It can also be used as a dopant to prepare Nb-doped TiO₂ photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The doping of Nb lowers the conduction band of TiO₂ enhancing electron injection and transfer ability of TiO₂ photoanode. This results in a significant increase in the performance of DSSC.

The purity and volatility of Niobium(V) ethoxide makeit a suitable precursor for atomic layer deposition and chemical vapordeposition of niobium oxide.