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Advantages and Perspectives of ZnO Nanostructured Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 1064

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Physics, Faculty of Physics, Complutense University of Madrid, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: semiconductor metal oxides for applications in sensing photocatalysis and optoelectronics

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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Interests: design of optical materials; nano materials and optical devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue, “ZnO Nanostructured Materials: Advantages and Perspectives”, will address advances in the growth, characterization, and applications of ZnO in the form of nanoparticles, nanowires, or any other kind of nanostructure. Recent developments in the study of ZnO have shown that nanostructures can be used in a very wide range of applications—from optoelectronic devices to photocatalysts or as antibacterials. In this sense, scalable growth methods, characterization aspects, and studies on application performance are key factors to the development and use of this material in common life. Original papers are solicited on all types of growth techniques and technological applications of ZnO nanostructures and its combination with other nanomaterials to form hybrid structures. Of particular interest are recent developments in low-cost growth techniques, doping methods, characterization of properties, and environmental applications of ZnO nanostructures. Articles and reviews dealing with applications and prospects in a green and circular economy, including photocatalysis, gas sensing, as antibacterial, and in optoelectronics, are very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Paloma Fernández Sánchez
Prof. Dr. Jong-Lam Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sensing
  • photocatalysis
  • emergent contaminants and pollutant photo-degradation
  • CO2 capture
  • recycling
  • environmentally friendly synthesis methods
  • nanodevices, batteries, and supercapacitors
  • metal-oxide-based materials and devices
  • upconverting materials

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 6311 KiB  
Article
Rapid Growth of Metal–Metal Oxide Core–Shell Structures through Joule Resistive Heating: Morphological, Structural, and Luminescence Characterization
by Juan Francisco Ramos-Justicia, Ana Urbieta and Paloma Fernández
Materials 2024, 17(1), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010208 - 30 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 772
Abstract
The aim of this study is to prove that resistive heating enables the synthesis of metal/metal oxide composites in the form of core–shell structures. The thickness and morphology of the oxide layer depends strongly on the nature of the metal, but the influences [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to prove that resistive heating enables the synthesis of metal/metal oxide composites in the form of core–shell structures. The thickness and morphology of the oxide layer depends strongly on the nature of the metal, but the influences of parameters such as the time and current profiles and the presence of an external field have also been investigated. The systems chosen for the present study are Zn/ZnO, Ti/TiO2, and Ni/NiO. The characterization of the samples was performed using techniques based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thicknesses of the oxide layers varied from 10 μm (Zn/ZnO) to 50 μm (Ni/NiO). In the case of Zn- and Ti-based composites, the growth of nanostructures on the oxide layer was observed. Micro- and nanoneedles formed on the ZnO layer while prism-like structures appeared on the TiO2. In the case of the NiO layer, micro- and nanocrystals were observed. Applying an external electric field seemed to align the ZnO needles, whereas its effect on TiO2 and NiO was less appreciable, principally affecting the shape of their grain boundaries. The chemical compositions were analysed using X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), which confirmed the existence of an oxide layer. Structural information was obtained by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and was later checked using Raman spectroscopy. The oxide layers seemed to be crystalline and, although some non-stoichiometric phases appeared, the stoichiometric phases were predominant; these were wurtzite, rutile, and cubic for Zn, Ti, and Ni oxides, respectively. The photoluminescence technique was used to study the distribution of defects on the shell, and mainly visible bands (2–2.5 eV), attributed to oxygen vacancies, were present. The near-band edges of ZnO and TiO2 were also observed around 3.2–3.3 eV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advantages and Perspectives of ZnO Nanostructured Materials)
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