Synthesis of Oxide Nanostructures

Abstract

Growth of oxide nanostructures is an important part of nanomatirials research, and it is the fundamental for fabricating various nanodevices. This chapter introduces the four main growth processes for synthesizing oxide nanostructures: hydrothermal synthesis, vapor-liquid-solid (VLS), vapor-solid (VS) and composite-hydroxide mediated synthesis. Detailed examples will be provided to illustrate the uniqueness and applications of these techniques for growing oxide nanowires, nanobelts and nanorods. Functional oxides are probably the most diverse and rich materials that have important applications in science and technology for ferromagnetism, ferroelectric-ity, piezoelectricity, superconductivity, magnetoresistivity, photonics, separation, catalysis, environmental engineering, etc. [1] Functional oxides have two unique structural features: switchable and/or mixed cation valences, and adjustable oxygen deficiency, which are the bases for creating many novel materials with unique electronic, optical, and chemical properties. The oxides are usually made into