This Feature Article gives an overview of microwave-assisted liquid phase routes to inorganic nanomaterials. Whereas microwave chemistry is a well-established technique in organic synthesis, its use in inorganic nanomaterials' synthesis is still at the beginning and far away from having reached its full potential. However, the rapidly growing number of publications in this field suggests that microwave chemistry will play an outstanding role in the broad field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This article is not meant to give an exhaustive overview of all nanomaterials synthesized by the microwave technique, but to discuss the new opportunities that arise as a result of the unique features of microwave chemistry. Principles, advantages and limitations of microwave chemistry are introduced, its application in the synthesis of different classes of functional nanomaterials is discussed, and finally expected benefits for nanomaterials' synthesis are elaborated.

In this review, we highlight particle based crystallization pathways leading to single crystals via mesoscopic transformation. In contrast to the classical mechanism of atom/molecule mediated growth of a single crystal, the particle mediated growth and assembly mechanisms are summarized as “non-classical crystallization”, including exiting processes like oriented attachment and mesocrystal formation. Detailed investigations of non-classical crystallization mechanisms are a recent development, but evidence for these pathways is rapidly increasing in the literature. A major driving force for these investigations originates from biomineralization, because it seems that these crystallization routes are frequently applied by natural organisms. We give a non-exhaustive literature survey on these two mechanisms with a focus on recent examples and studies, which are dedicated to a mechanistic understanding. Furthermore, conditions are introduced for which these non-classical crystallization mechanisms can be expected, as they are always an alternative reaction pathway to classical crystallization.

Sol–gel routes to metal oxide nanoparticles in organic solvents under exclusion of water have become a versatile alternative to aqueous methods. In comparison to the complex aqueous chemistry, nonaqueous processes offer the possibility of better understanding and controlling the reaction pathways on a molecular level, enabling the synthesis of nanomaterials with high crystallinity and well-defined and uniform particle morphologies. The organic components strongly influence the composition, size, shape, and surface properties of the inorganic product, underlining the demand to understand the role of the organic species at all stages of these processes for the development of a rational synthesis strategy for inorganic nanomaterials.