alternate short and long V-V distances of 2.65 Å and 3.12 Å. In comparison, in the rutile phase the V⁴⁺ ions are separated by a fixed distance of 2.96 Å. As a result, the number of V⁴⁺ ions in the crystallographic unit cell doubles from the rutile to the monoclinic phase.

The equilibrium morphology of rutile particles is acicular, laterally confined by (110) surfaces, which are the most stable termination planes. The surface tends to be oxidized with respect to the stoichiometric composition, with the oxygen