In the paper, VO2 and V2O3 nanopowders were prepared via one-step solution combustion synthesis method. The properties of products can be tunable by adjusting the combustion parameters, such as fuel type, fuel-to-oxidizer ratio and atmosphere. Detailed combustion reaction mechanisms have been discussed. When glycine as fuel, the average particle size of VO2 product is 40 nm. When citric acid and glycine as the mixture fuels, the VO2 product with the average particle size of 20 nm show typical temperature-driven semiconductor to metal transition. The V2O3 product with the average size of 70 nm could be synthesized in an inert atmosphere. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.