In this work, we present X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of laser treated vanadium oxide sols. The films were also observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reveal how the original xerogel structure changes into irregular shaped, layer structured V2O5 due to the laser radiation. XRD revealed that above 102 W/cm(2) the original xerogel structure disappears and above 129 W/cm(2) the films become totally polycrystalline with an orthorhombic structure. XPS spectra showed O/V ratio increment by using higher laser intensities. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.