Special Issue "Progress in Nanomaterials Preparation"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Greta Ricarda Patzke
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
E-Mail:
Interests: anisotropic nanoscale transition metal oxides; photocatalytic properties of oxide-based nanomaterials; microwave-hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials; mechanistic studies on solvothermal reactions; synthesis and application of polyoxometalates; conducting polymers and hybrid materials

Dear Colleagues,

The targeted synthesis of functional nanomaterials is an essential and challenging task for the development of a future nanotechnology. Especially for complex and tailored materials, the simultaneous control of particle size/morphology, structure and composition requires highly tunable synthetic routes, because these features are often decisive for the construction of new nanoscale devices. Developing new preparative ways towards nanomaterials thus requires a creative interaction between synthetic chemists and specialists from neighbouring disciplines.

With this Special Issue of “Materials”, we present a survey of recent developments in this field. The interdisciplinary potential of designing nanomaterials for new applications is tremendous and with our selection of articles, we demonstrate how nanomaterials synthesis is currently revolutionizing the well-known laboratory practices in chemistry. While heading for new types of synergistic materials and composites, scientists in the field keep crossing the borders between the “classical” disciplines of chemistry.

Although the role of nanomaterials preparation as a “melting pot” for a multitude of synthetic techniques has led to remarkable innovations and breakthroughs, we do not want to conceal the fact that many of these processes still remain to be fully understood from the mechanistic point of view. However, the liveliness and creativity of nanoscientists has brought forward sophisticated approaches over the past years to grasp and to control the complexity of synthetic processes with various in-situ and ex-situ techniques.

We hope that this Special Issue is an enjoyable reading and an inspiration for many scientists to dive into the fascinating world of nanomaterials and to contribute their special skills and views to this world-wide community.

Prof. Dr. Greta R. Patzke
Guest Editor

Submission

All manuscripts should be submitted to materials@mdpi.org with a copy to the Guest Editor. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as 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 refereed through a 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 monthly 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 800 CHF per accepted paper.

• nanomaterials
• synthetic techniques
• oxides
• nanotechnology
• composite materials
• in situ methods
• chemistry of form
• materials design
• morphology control
• analytical chemistry

Feature Paper

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Synthesis and Thermal Behaviour of Nanocrystalline CeO₂ Embedded in Silica
Author: Richard Walton
Affiliation: University of Warwick, UK; E-Mail: R.I.Walton@warwick.ac.uk
Abstract: We report the synthesis of nanocrystalline CeO₂ encased in amorphous silica and an analysis of its redox properties. The precipitation of 10 nm particles of ceria from aqueous cerium(III) chloride in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, followed by surface modification with cetyl trimethylammonium bromide was used to form particles that were investigated as templates for the formation of a silica by hydrolysis of tetraethlyorthosilicate. This yielded a nanocomposite in which the ceria particles are dispersed in a silica matrix, after calcination to remove the organic component. Thermodiffractometry of this material in air reveals that the thermal annealing of the ceria nanocrystals is inhibited by their immobilisation in silica, and does not take place until the amorphous silica crystallises into β-cristobalite above 825 °C. In contrast, bulk samples of the CeO₂ nanoparticles are highly agglomerated and crystal growth occurs rapidly after heating to just over 400 °C. Despite their encasement in silica, the CeO₂ particles show favourable redox properties, as shown by TPR experiments that reveal a significant low temperature reduction (<650 °C) associated the surface of nanocrytalline CeO₂ which is diminished if the CeO₂ powders are studied without encasement in silica.

Regular Paper

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Vanadium Oxide Gels Versatile Precursors for Nanostructured Materials
Author: Jacques Livage
Affiliation: Collège de France, Paris, France
Abstract: Vanadium pentoxide gels V₂O₅,nH₂O are made of entangled vanadium oxide ribbon-like particles. They behave like nematic liquid crystals and appears to give a wide variety of hybrid organic-inorganic materials in which organic molecules, biomolecules and polymers are intercalated between the oxide ribbons. These hybrid materials exhibit improved electrical and optical properties that have been exploited to make semiconducting films, cathodes for lithium batteries or electrochromic devices.
Moreover a large variety of nanostructured materials can be synthesized from these vanadium oxide gels. They exhibit unusual morphologies such as nanowires, nanobelts, nanorods, nanotubes, foams and even urchin-like shapes. This paper will show how the aqueous solution chemistry of vanadium oxide gels can be controlled to lead to such taylor-made nanostructured materials, providing an overview of most recent results obtained since the beginning of the XXI century.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Progress in Anodic Aluminium Oxide (AAO) Membrane Development
Author: Shahidah Ali; E-Mail: N.Ali@murdoch.edu.au
Abstract: The field of nanotechnology has become a very important area in the development of many novel materials and devices. The progress in understanding the properties of these nanostructures has enabled for their application in several areas including those of biotechnology and biomedical sciences. The ability to reproduce nano-structures of uniform size and shape are crucial factors in the advancement of these fields, making the use of AAO membrane a very attractive choice compared to other top-down methods. During the last five decades, advancement in AAO membrane development has played a vital role in the manufacture of many nano-structured devices. While mechanisms behind the formation of the porous AAO membrane are not yet fully understood, the high reproducible rate of generating regular pores continues to favour its use as template for the synthesis of many nano-materials. This review focuses on the evolution of the synthesis, use and the ever-widening field of application of AAO membrane.