“…56 Our research group has previously investigated the nature of defects in AW. 51,57 Experimental and theoretical studies have indicated that the formation of oxygen vacancies, including neutral (neutral (V x O ), cationic (
) or doubly-ionized
), is favored in both undoped and V-doped AW samples. Considering the aforementioned reactions, it is possible that in V-doped AW microcrystals, where the lowest energy level of the conduction band is associated with V 3d orbitals, electrons can transfer from V x O to EPR-silent V 5+ , resulting in the generation of paramagnetic V 4+ and
species.…”