Metal oxides are the key ingredients for the development of many advanced functional materials and smart devices. Nanostructuring has emerged as one of the best tools to unlock their full potential. Tungsten oxides (WOx) are unique materials that have been rigorously studied for their chromism, photocatalysis, and sensing capabilities. However, they exhibit further important properties and functionalities that have received relatively little attention in the past. This Feature Article presents a general review of nanostructured WOx, their properties, methods of synthesis, and a description of how they can be used in unique ways for different applications. Tungsten oxides (WOx) are unique functional materials that can be obtained in a vast variety of nanostructured forms. This Feature Article presents a comprehensive review on the properties of WOx that goes beyond chromism and photocatalysis, for which they are usually investigated for. This is followed by a survey of their synthesis methods and implementations for different applications.

Nanostructured Tungsten Oxide – Properties, Synthesis, and Applications

Antimicrobial activity of the metals and metal oxide nanoparticles

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles in drug delivery and biomedical applications

The detection of explosives is one of the current pressing concerns in global security. In the past few decades, a large number of emissive sensing materials have been developed for the detection of explosives in vapor, solution, and solid states through fluorescence methods. In recent years, great efforts have been devoted to develop new fluorescent materials with various sensing mechanisms for detecting explosives in order to achieve super-sensitivity, ultra-selectivity, as well as fast response time. This review article starts with a brief introduction on various sensing mechanisms for fluorescence based explosive detection, and then summarizes in an exhaustive and systematic way the state-of-the-art of fluorescent materials for explosive detection with a focus on the research in the recent 5 years. A wide range of fluorescent materials, such as conjugated polymers, small fluorophores, supramolecular systems, bio-inspired materials and aggregation induced emission-active materials, and their sensing performance and sensing mechanism are the centerpiece of this review. Finally, conclusions and future outlook are presented and discussed.

Fluorescence based explosive detection: from mechanisms to sensory materials.

https://iris.unipa.it/bitstream/10447/74239/1/Di%20Paola-J%20hzardous%20mater%202012-survey.pdf

A survey of photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation.

α-Fe2O3ナノ構造体の形状制御合成:改良した光触媒分解効率のための表面特性の加工

Ultrahigh surface area biomass derived 3D hierarchical porous carbon nanosheet electrodes for high energy density supercapacitors

Structural and optical properties of CdS thin films

Single-crystalline porous hematite nanorods and spindle-like nanostructures were successfully synthesized by a low temperature reflux condensation method. Two different iron sources, namely, FeCl3?6H2O and Fe(NO3)3?9H2O, were hydrolyzed in the presence of urea to selectively prepare nanorods and spindle-like nanostructures. Initially, the akagenite phase was obtained by refluxing the precursor for 12?h and then the as-prepared akagenite nanostructures were transformed to porous hematite nanostructures upon calcination at 300??C for 1?h. The shape and the aspect ratio of the 12?h refluxed sample was retained even after calcination and this shows the topotactic transformation of the nanostructure. TEM and HRTEM investigations have shown the porous nature of the prepared sample. Brunauer?Emmett?Teller and Barret?Joyner?Halenda measurements have shown a large surface area and distribution of mesopores in the nanorods sample. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanostructures towards RhB has reflected this variation in the pore size distribution and specific surface area, by showing a higher activity for the nanorods sample. Magnetic studies by VSM have shown a weak ferromagnetic behaviour in both the samples due to shape anisotropy.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0022-3727/43/1/015501/pdf

Highly mesoporous α-Fe2O3 nanostructures: preparation, characterization and improved photocatalytic performance towards Rhodamine B (RhB)

Single-crystalline, nanostructured dendrites, single and double-layered snowflakes of hematite (α-Fe2O3) were synthesized by a well controlled, surfactant-assisted hydrothermal reaction of K3[Fe(CN)6]. By varying the preparatory conditions such as precursor concentration and type of surfactant, we could establish precise control on the morphology of the sample. X-Ray diffraction, Raman analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies have confirmed that the as grown morphologies were hematite. Dendrites were obtained due to weak dissociation of the precursor and controlled diffusion of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles under non-equilibrium conditions which attach and grow along certain preferred crystal facets. In the presence of a surfactant, single and double-layered snowflakes were formed. The type of surfactant and the nature of micelle formation were proposed to be the key factor for the observed snowflakes and the single or double-layered growth. Magnetic studies have shown morphology dependent magnetic properties with variation in the coercivity values for dendrites, single and double-layered snowflakes.

Controlled growth of single-crystalline, nanostructured dendrites and snowflakes of α-Fe2O3: influence of the surfactant on the morphology and investigation of morphology dependent magnetic properties

Karuppanan Senthil

Papers

α-Fe2O3ナノ構造体の形状制御合成:改良した光触媒分解効率のための表面特性の加工

Ultrahigh surface area biomass derived 3D hierarchical porous carbon nanosheet electrodes for high energy density supercapacitors

Structural and optical properties of CdS thin films

Highly mesoporous α-Fe2O3 nanostructures: preparation, characterization and improved photocatalytic performance towards Rhodamine B (RhB)

Controlled growth of single-crystalline, nanostructured dendrites and snowflakes of α-Fe2O3: influence of the surfactant on the morphology and investigation of morphology dependent magnetic properties