Thin V<inf>2</inf>O<inf>5</inf> films were deposited on two different commercial soda-lime glass substrates (A and B) by O<inf>2</inf> reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a vanadium target. The influences of the surface energy and roughness of the substrates on the structure and atomic bonding of the films were examined. The film on substrate A was polycrystalline, with eight crystal orientations, whereas the film on substrate B yielded an intense (001) diffraction peak of α-V<inf>2</inf>O<inf>5</inf> and a weak (200) peak of β-V<inf>2</inf>O<inf>5</inf>, indicating preferred orientation along these planes. Structural analyses indicated that substrate B with lower surface energy and higher roughness enhanced the formation of a layered a-V<inf>2</inf>O<inf>5</inf> structure.
