The influence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide on the phase composition (cubic zinc blende versus hexagonal wurtzite) of ZnS nanoparticles was studied. The ZnS nanoparticles were prepared by a microwave-assisted solvothermal method, and the phase structure and optical properties along with the growth process of ZnS nanoparticles were studied. We report XRD, FE-SEM, EDXS, UV-vis and PL measurements, and first-principles calculations based on TDDFT methods in order to investigate the structural and electronic properties and the growth mechanism of ZnS nanostructures. The effects as well as the merits of microwave heating on the process and characteristics of the obtained ZnS nanostructures and their performance are reported.

The focus of this paper is on the analysis of the structural and electronic order–disorder effects at long, medium and short ranges of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles synthesized by the sol–gel process followed by the microwave-assisted solvothermal (MAS) method.

In this work, we utilise a combination of theory, computation and experiments to understand the early events related to the nucleation of Ag filaments on α-Ag₂WO₄ crystals, which is driven by an accelerated electron beam from an electron microscope under high vacuum. The growth process and the chemical composition and elemental distribution in these filaments were analysed in depth at the nanoscale level using TEM, HAADF, EDS and XPS; the structural and electronic aspects were systematically studied in using first-principles electronic structure theory within QTAIM framework. The Ag nucleation and formation on α-Ag₂WO₄ is a result of the order/disorder effects generated in the crystal by the electron-beam irradiation. Both experimental and theoretical results show that this behavior is associated with structural and electronic changes of the [AgO₂] and [AgO₄] clusters and, to a minor extent, to the [WO₆] cluster; these clusters collectively represent the constituent building blocks of α-Ag₂WO₄.

The magic reducible oxides properties likely are mainly due to the presence of oxygen defects and their rich surface chemistry, which provide a rational pathway to the emergent of entirely new properties. Although significant progress has performed in the last years, it can be stated that they are not fully understood at the nanoscale level so far. This mini-review provides a comprehensive perspective on the oxygen defects and surface chemistry of reducible oxides based on materials with two-dimensional (2D) structure. Thus, in this perspective, we intend to discuss some of the main challenges and opportunities in this important field of research in materials chemistry and engineering. From a practical standpoint, chemical insights from defect-engineering may provide vital clues for improving synthetic methods and understanding fundamental nanoscale properties, driving innovation in the field of reducible oxides based on 2D structure materials.

We report on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of α,β‐NiMoO₄ nanorods synthesized by annealing the NiMoO₄:nH₂O precursor at 600°C for 10 minutes in a domestic microwave. The crystalline structure properties of α,β‐NiMoO₄ were investigated using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman (FT‐Raman) spectroscopies. The particle morphologies and size distributions were identified by field emission microscopy (FE‐SEM). Experimental data were obtained by magnetization measurements for different applied magnetic fields. Optical properties were analyzed by ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐vis) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Our results revealed that the oxygen atoms occupy different positions and are very disturbed in the lattice and exhibit a particular characteristic related to differences in the length of the chemical bonds (Ni‐O and Mo‐O) of the cluster structure or defect densities in the crystalline α,β‐NiMoO₄ nanorods, which are the key to a deeper understanding of the exploitable physical and chemical properties in this study.