Surface functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are a kind of novel functional materials, which have been widely used in the biotechnology and catalysis. This review focuses on the recent development and various strategies in preparation, structure, and magnetic properties of naked and surface functionalized iron oxide NPs and their corresponding application briefly. In order to implement the practical application, the particles must have combined properties of high magnetic saturation, stability, biocompatibility, and interactive functions at the surface. Moreover, the surface of iron oxide NPs could be modified by organic materials or inorganic materials, such as polymers, biomolecules, silica, metals, etc. The problems and major challenges, along with the directions for the synthesis and surface functionalization of iron oxide NPs, are considered. Finally, some future trends and prospective in these research areas are also discussed.

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Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Surface Functionalization Strategies

The regulation of engineered nanoparticles requires a widely agreed definition of such particles. Nanoparticles are routinely defined as particles with sizes between about 1 and 100 nm that show properties that are not found in bulk samples of the same material. Here we argue that evidence for novel size-dependent properties alone, rather than particle size, should be the primary criterion in any definition of nanoparticles when making decisions about their regulation for environmental, health and safety reasons. We review the size-dependent properties of a variety of inorganic nanoparticles and find that particles larger than about 30 nm do not in general show properties that would require regulatory scrutiny beyond that required for their bulk counterparts.

/pdf/towards-a-definition-of-inorganic-nanoparticles-from-an-4qpaj5a6q5.pdf

Towards a definition of inorganic nanoparticles from an environmental, health and safety perspective

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is emerging as a viable candidate for certain classes of power electronics, solar blind UV photodetectors, solar cells, and sensors with capabilities beyond existing technologies due to its large bandgap. It is usually reported that there are five different polymorphs of Ga2O3, namely, the monoclinic (β-Ga2O3), rhombohedral (α), defective spinel (γ), cubic (δ), or orthorhombic (e) structures. Of these, the β-polymorph is the stable form under normal conditions and has been the most widely studied and utilized. Since melt growth techniques can be used to grow bulk crystals of β-GaO3, the cost of producing larger area, uniform substrates is potentially lower compared to the vapor growth techniques used to manufacture bulk crystals of GaN and SiC. The performance of technologically important high voltage rectifiers and enhancement-mode Metal-Oxide Field Effect Transistors benefit from the larger critical electric field of β-Ga2O3 relative to either SiC or GaN. However, the absence of clear demonstrations of p-type doping in Ga2O3, which may be a fundamental issue resulting from the band structure, makes it very difficult to simultaneously achieve low turn-on voltages and ultra-high breakdown. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent advances in the growth, processing, and device performance of the most widely studied polymorph, β-Ga2O3. The role of defects and impurities on the transport and optical properties of bulk, epitaxial, and nanostructures material, the difficulty in p-type doping, and the development of processing techniques like etching, contact formation, dielectrics for gate formation, and passivation are discussed. Areas where continued development is needed to fully exploit the properties of Ga2O3 are identified.

A review of Ga2O3 materials, processing, and devices

Metal oxide-based resistive-type gas sensors are solid-state devices which are widely used in a number of applications from health and safety to energy efficiency and emission control. Nanomaterials such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles have dominated the research focus in this field due to their large number of surface sites facilitating surface reactions. Previous studies have shown that incorporating two or more metal oxides to form a heterojunction interface can have drastic effects on gas sensor performance, especially the selectivity. Recently, these effects have been amplified by designing heterojunctions on the nano-scale. These designs have evolved from mixed commercial powders and bi-layer films to finely-tuned core–shell and hierarchical brush-like nanocomposites. This review details the various morphological classes currently available for nanostructured metal-oxide based heterojunctions and then presents the dominant electronic and chemical mechanisms that influence the performance of these materials as resistive-type gas sensors. Mechanisms explored include p–n and n–n potential barrier manipulation, n–p–n response type inversions, spill-over effects, synergistic catalytic behavior, and microstructure enhancement. Tables are presented summarizing these works specifically for SnO2, ZnO, TiO2, In2O3, Fe2O3, MoO3, Co3O4, and CdO-based nanocomposites. Recent developments are highlighted and likely future trends are explored.

Nanoscale metal oxide-based heterojunctions for gas sensing: A review

Hierarchical and hollow oxide nanostructures are very promising gas sensor materials due to their high surface area and well-aligned nanoporous structures with a less agglomerated configurations. Various synthetic strategies to prepare such hierarchical and hollow structures for gas sensor applications are reviewed and the principle parameters and mechanisms to enhance the gas sensing characteristics are investigated. The literature data clearly show that hierarchical and hollow nanostructures increase both the gas response and response speed simultaneously and substantially. This can be explained by the rapid and effective gas diffusion toward the entire sensing surfaces via the porous structures. Finally, the impact of highly sensitive and fast responding gas sensors using hierarchical and hollow nanostructures on future research directions is discussed.

Gas sensors using hierarchical and hollow oxide nanostructures: Overview

Iron oxides occur ubiquitously in environmental, geological, planetary, and technological settings. They exist in a rich variety of structures and hydration states. They are commonly fine-grained (nanophase) and poorly crystalline. This review summarizes recently measured thermodynamic data on their formation and surface energies. These data are essential for calculating the thermodynamic stability fields of the various iron oxide and oxyhydroxide phases and understanding their occurrence in natural and anthropogenic environments. The competition between surface enthalpy and the energetics of phase transformation leads to the general conclusion that polymorphs metastable as micrometer-sized or larger crystals can often be thermodynamically stabilized at the nanoscale. Such size-driven crossovers in stability help to explain patterns of occurrence of different iron oxides in nature.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/319/5870/1635.full.pdf

Size-driven structural and thermodynamic complexity in iron oxides.

The thermodynamic properties of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles with size smaller than 10 nm had not been studied previously because of particle size limitations for samples synthesized by wet ch...

Calorimetric Study of Maghemite Nanoparticles Synthesized by Laser-Induced Pyrolysis

Cathodoluminescence real-color imaging and spectroscopy were employed to study the properties of Ga2O3 nanowires grown with different Sn/Ga ratios. The structures grown under Sn-rich conditions show large spectral emission variation, ranging from blue to red, with a green transition zone. Spectral emission changes correlate with changes in the chemical composition and structure found by energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron diffraction. A sharp transition from green to red emission correlates with a phase transition of β-Ga2O3 to polycrystalline SnO2. The origin of the green emission band is discussed based on ab initio calculation results.

Cathodoluminescence Studies of the Inhomogeneities in Sn-doped Ga2O3 Nanowires

Akaganeite, β-FeOOH, is a commonly occurring ferric mineral in the environment and is a sorbent, ion exchanger, and catalyst. It is often fine-grained (nanophase) and frequently contains excess water. Its enthalpy of formation was studied by solution calorimetry in aqueous HCl. The enthalpy of water adsorption was studied by a new calorimetric technique combining a Calvet microcalorimeter and an automated gas dosing system, used for surface adsorption measurements. Akaganeite samples with surface areas of 30−280 m2/g were used. Sample characterization was performed by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller method, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Surface enthalpy and enthalpy of water adsorption are reported for the first time. By adsorbing water, akaganeite decreases its effective surface enthalpy from 0.44 J/m2 to 0.34 J/m2. The enthalpy of formation of akaganeite can vary by 10−12 kJ/mol as...

Energetics of Bulk and Nano-Akaganeite, β-FeOOH: Enthalpy of Formation, Surface Enthalpy, and Enthalpy of Water Adsorption

Goethite, α-FeOOH, and hematite, α-Fe2O3, have high affinity for water, especially when particle size is small. To determine the enthalpy of different types of adsorbed water, we performed water adsorption calorimetry on goethite and hematite with surface areas of 60−270 and 2−150 m2/g, respectively, using a new calorimetric technique combining a microcalorimeter and an automated gas dosing system. Several types of strongly bound water can be distinguished on hematite, depending on heating temperature and surface area. These have enthalpies of adsorption relative to liquid water (ΔHads) equal to −67.1 ± 4.9, −48.6 ± 1.8, and −25.5 ± 4.4 kJ/mol. The last value corresponds to water adsorption on very fine grained hematite and is very close to the water adsorption enthalpy for goethite, ΔHads = −19.4 ± 4.2 kJ/mol. Surface enthalpies for anhydrous surfaces of goethite (0.91 ± 0.09 J/m2) and hematite (1.9 ± 0.3 J/m2) determined experimentally are reported for the first time. The significant difference in surfa...

Lena Mazeina

Papers

Size-driven structural and thermodynamic complexity in iron oxides.

Calorimetric Study of Maghemite Nanoparticles Synthesized by Laser-Induced Pyrolysis

Cathodoluminescence Studies of the Inhomogeneities in Sn-doped Ga2O3 Nanowires

Energetics of Bulk and Nano-Akaganeite, β-FeOOH: Enthalpy of Formation, Surface Enthalpy, and Enthalpy of Water Adsorption

Enthalpy of Water Adsorption and Surface Enthalpy of Goethite (α-FeOOH) and Hematite (α-Fe2O3)