We report on a simple synthesis of ZnO nanowires by calcination of zinc acetate. The effect of calcination temperature and cooling route on the antibacterial and photocatalytic properties is demonstrated by varying the size and surface area of the nanowires. The decrease of the calcination temperature followed by a rapid cooling procedure leads to a smaller size and larger surface area of the nanowires. ZnO nanowires are found to be effective against the growth of E. coli at the microgram level. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnO nanowires is demonstrated by the successful degradation of the organic dye methylene blue.

The cutting-edge photovoltaic cells are an indispensable part of the ongoing progress of earth-friendly plans for daily life energy consumption. However, the continuous electrical demand that extends to the nighttime requires a prior deployment of efficient real-time storage systems. In this regard, metal-air batteries have presented themselves as the most suitable candidates for solar energy storage, combining extra lightweight with higher power outputs and promises of longer life cycles. Scientific research over non-precious functional catalysts has always been the milestone and still contributing significantly to exploring new advanced materials and moderating the cost of both complementary technologies. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived functional materials have found their way to the application as storage and conversion materials, owing to their structural variety, porous advantages, as well as the tunability and high reactivity. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the latest progress of MOF-based materials operating in metal-air batteries and photovoltaic cells.

ZnO-based nanomaterials have been proven to be of great use for several leading applications since the beginning of nanoscience due to the abundance of zinc element and the relatively easy conversion of its oxide to nanostructures. Nowadays, ZnO as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanofibers as well as plenty of other sophisticated nanostructures takes place among the pioneer nanomaterials employed in the photovoltaic systems, fuel cells, and biomedical fields. Nevertheless, optimizing energy consumption and being eco-friendly are the challenging requirements that are still to be overcome for their synthesis. Green chemistry has been strongly presented recently in the scientific arena as an adequate potential alternative; worldwide investigations have been held on subjects involving bacteria, fungus, or algae-based synthesis as efficient options, and some of the intriguing scientific findings on this subject are reported hereafter.