Conductometric semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors have been widely used and investigated in the detection of gases. Investigations have indicated that the gas sensing process is strongly related to surface reactions, so one of the important parameters of gas sensors, the sensitivity of the metal oxide based materials, will change with the factors influencing the surface reactions, such as chemical components, surface-modification and microstructures of sensing layers, temperature and humidity. In this brief review, attention will be focused on changes of sensitivity of conductometric semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors due to the five factors mentioned above.

Metal oxide gas sensors: Sensitivity and influencing factors

The nonradiative conversion of light energy into heat (photothermal therapy, PTT) or sound energy (photoacoustic imaging, PAI) has been intensively investigated for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer, respectively. By taking advantage of nanocarriers, both imaging and therapeutic functions together with enhanced tumour accumulation have been thoroughly studied to improve the pre-clinical efficiency of PAI and PTT. In this review, we first summarize the development of inorganic and organic nano photothermal transduction agents (PTAs) and strategies for improving the PTT outcomes, including applying appropriate laser dosage, guiding the treatment via imaging techniques, developing PTAs with absorption in the second NIR window, increasing photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE), and also increasing the accumulation of PTAs in tumours. Second, we introduce the advantages of combining PTT with other therapies in cancer treatment. Third, the emerging applications of PAI in cancer-related research are exemplified. Finally, the perspectives and challenges of PTT and PAI for combating cancer, especially regarding their clinical translation, are discussed. We believe that PTT and PAI having noteworthy features would become promising next-generation non-invasive cancer theranostic techniques and improve our ability to combat cancers.

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Photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging via nanotheranostics in fighting cancer

Gold nanorods have been receiving extensive attention owing to their extremely attractive applications in biomedical technologies, plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies, and optical and optoelectronic devices. The growth methods and plasmonic properties of Au nanorods have therefore been intensively studied. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the flourishing field of Au nanorods in the past five years. We will focus mainly on the approaches for the growth, shape and size tuning, functionalization, and assembly of Au nanorods, as well as the methods for the preparation of their hybrid structures. The plasmonic properties and the associated applications of Au nanorods will also be discussed in detail.

Gold nanorods and their plasmonic properties

Photoreduction of CO2 into sustainable and green solar fuels is generally believed to be an appealing solution to simultaneously overcome both environmental problems and energy crisis. The low selectivity of challenging multi-electron CO2 photoreduction reactions makes it one of the holy grails in heterogeneous photocatalysis. This Review highlights the important roles of cocatalysts in selective photocatalytic CO2 reduction into solar fuels using semiconductor catalysts. A special emphasis in this review is placed on the key role, design considerations and modification strategies of cocatalysts for CO2 photoreduction. Various cocatalysts, such as the biomimetic, metal-based, metal-free, and multifunctional ones, and their selectivity for CO2 photoreduction are summarized and discussed, along with the recent advances in this area. This Review provides useful information for the design of highly selective cocatalysts for photo(electro)reduction and electroreduction of CO2 and complements the existing reviews on various semiconductor photocatalysts.

Cocatalysts for Selective Photoreduction of CO2 into Solar Fuels.

Cobalt hydroxide, cobalt oxyhydroxide, and cobalt oxide nanomaterials were synthesized through simple soft chemistry. The cobalt hydroxide displays hexagonal morphology with clear edges 20 nm long. This morphology and nanosize is retained through to cobalt oxide Co3O4 through a topotactical relationship. Cobalt oxyhydroxide and cobalt oxide nanomaterials were synthesized through oxidation and low-temperature calcination from the as-prepared cobalt hydroxide. Characterization of these cobalt-based nanomaterials was fully developed, including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy combined with selected area electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Bonding of the divalent cobalt hydroxide from the oxyhydroxide and oxides by studying their high-resolution XPS spectra for Co 2p3/2 and O 1s. Raman spectroscopy of the as-prepared Co(OH)2, CoO(OH), and Co3O4 nanomaterials characterized each material. T...

Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt Hydroxide, Cobalt Oxyhydroxide, and Cobalt Oxide Nanodiscs

Hybrid nanostructures composed of semiconductor and plasmonic metal components are receiving extensive attention. They display extraordinary optical characteristics that are derived from the simultaneous existence and close conjunction of localized surface plasmon resonance and semiconduction, as well as the synergistic interactions between the two components. They have been widely studied for photocatalysis, plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy, biotechnology, and solar cells. In this review, the developments in the field of (plasmonic metal)/semiconductor hybrid nanostructures are comprehensively described. The preparation of the hybrid nanostructures is first presented according to the semiconductor type, as well as the nanostructure morphology. The plasmonic properties and the enabled applications of the hybrid nanostructures are then elucidated. Lastly, possible future research in this burgeoning field is discussed.

Metal/Semiconductor Hybrid Nanostructures for Plasmon-Enhanced Applications

The emerging field of plasmonics with the capability to guide and localize light in the nanoscale regime has enabled technologies that can efficiently harvest and utilize solar energy for chemical processes. In this review, recent advances at the intersection of plasmonics and chemical reactions are surveyed. The origins of plasmonic enhancements in chemical reactions will be first discussed. The applications of localized plasmons in various chemical reactions, including photodecomposition of organic pollutants, solar water splitting, and organic synthesis, will then be summarized. We will also discuss the challenges that can expedite the progress of plasmon-enhanced chemical reactions.

Plasmon-enhanced chemical reactions

Selective reduction of ketone/aldehydes to alcohols is of great importance in green chemistry and chemical engineering. Highly efficient catalysts are still demanded to work under mild conditions, especially at room temperature. Here we present a synergistic function of single-atom palladium (Pd1) and nanoparticles (PdNPs) on TiO2 for highly efficient ketone/aldehydes hydrogenation to alcohols at room temperature. Compared to simple but inferior Pd1/TiO2 and PdNPs/TiO2 catalysts, more than twice activity enhancement is achieved with the Pd1+NPs/TiO2 catalyst that integrates both Pd1 and Pd NPs on mesoporous TiO2 supports, obtained by a simple but large-scaled spray pyrolysis route. The synergistic function of Pd1 and PdNPs is assigned so that the partial Pd1 dispersion contributes enough sites for the activation of C=O group while PdNPs site boosts the dissociation of H2 molecules to H atoms. This work not only contributes a superior catalyst for ketone/aldehydes hydrogenation, but also deepens the knowledge on their hydrogenation mechanism and guides people to engineer the catalytic behaviors as needed.

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Titania supported synergistic palladium single atoms and nanoparticles for room temperature ketone and aldehydes hydrogenation.

Integration of gold and titania in a nanoscale core/shell architecture can offer large active metal/semiconductor interfacial areas and avoid aggregation and reshaping of the metal nanocrystal core. Such hybrid nanostructures are very useful for studying plasmon-enhanced/enabled processes and have great potential in light-harvesting applications. Herein we report on a facile route to (gold nanocrystal core)/(titania shell) nanostructures with their plasmon band synthetically variable from ∼700 nm to over 1000 nm. The coating method has also been applied to other mono- and bi-metallic Pd, Pt, Au nanocrystals. The gold/titania nanostructures have been employed as the scattering layer in dye-sensitized solar cells, with the resultant cells exhibiting a 13.3% increase in the power conversion efficiency and a 75% decrease in the scattering-layer thickness. Moreover, under resonant excitation, the gold/titania nanostructures can efficiently utilize low-energy photons to generate reactive oxygen species, including singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals.

Caihong Fang

Papers

Metal/Semiconductor Hybrid Nanostructures for Plasmon-Enhanced Applications

Plasmon-enhanced chemical reactions

Titania supported synergistic palladium single atoms and nanoparticles for room temperature ketone and aldehydes hydrogenation.

(Gold core)/(titania shell) nanostructures for plasmon-enhanced photon harvesting and generation of reactive oxygen species

Synthesis of polyhedral ZnSnO3 microcrystals with controlled exposed facets and their selective gas-sensing properties.