Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructures, particularly from, e.g., the inorganic metal oxide, organic, carbon, and polymer families, are essential material candidates because of their surface-to-volume and morphology-dependent extraordinary properties suitable for various advanced technologies. The ongoing deployments in the direction of 0D (quantum dots), 1D (hybrid nanowires), 2D (from new semiconductors), and 3D networked materials have further become very relevant toward various applications due to their excellent nanoscale features and simplicity of utilization. Due to their compact synthesis forms, they can be easily handled or integrated in the desired manner in devices or sensors. The 0D, 1D, and 2D nanostructures from noble metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Cu) have found immense sensing, biomedical, waveguide, and telecommunication applications. Nanostructures from metal oxides have attracted significant (fundamental and applied) research interest due to their interesting bandgap values (intermediate between metals and insulators), suitable for various advanced technologies. When these metal oxides and metals are combined in hybrid nanomaterials, they become very relevant for understanding the properties and applications. The carbon nanostructure family, i.e., fullerenes, CNTs (MWCNTs), graphene, and graphene oxide (GO), have shown very strong potential ranging from fundamental properties to advanced energy applications. They hence have been the subject of enormous research attention in the last couple of decades. Recent developments in the direction of 3D carbon networks have opened an entirely new dimension in nanotechnology research. Research on 3D soft ceramics from metal oxide interconnected networks, which is currently in the mainstream research focus, is critical because it can be beneficial in upscaling nanotechnology-related applications in modern life. Appropriate growth strategies of different structures (0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D) using simple methods, understanding their properties, applications in different directions, etc., are still crucial issues. Interdisciplinary research platforms, equipped with

1. Synthesis groups for developing different nanostructures;
2. Theoretical/computational scientists, who can analyze/simulate for understanding the structure-property relations; and
3. Application experts, utilizing these materials in various applications

are required. This special issue, connected to Symposium R of the E-MRS 2021 Fall Meeting, aims to gather contributions bridging these elements.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

(i) Hybrid metal oxide materials (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D): synthesis and characterization; structure–property relations; analytical/simulation studies; electronics, chemistry, energy, sensing, lightening, biomedical, and environmental applications; 

(ii) Plasmonic nanostructures: synthesis and characterization, computational modeling, sensing and nanophotonics applications;

(iii) Carbon family (fullerenes to 3D graphene): fabrication and characterizations; structure–property relations; simulation studies; nanoelectronics, sensing, supercapacitor, battery, and energy applications;    

(iv) Quantum dots and perovskites: QDs, NCs, nanowires, thin films, synthesis, and applications. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Guest Editors

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• Materials: hybrid materials, plasmonic materials and composites, carbon nanostructures, perovskites, and quantum dots
• Properties and methods: growth methods, doping, characterization, theoretical and computational modeling (molecular dynamics, multiscale modeling)
• Applications: electronics, chemistry, energy, sensing, lightening, biomedical, and environmental