Two types of (Zn, Al) layered double hydroxide were prepared by a hydrothermal process at room temperature using Zn salt precursors on Al foils. The examined LDHs differ for the hosted anions in the interlamellar space, namely Cl ⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ . Scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy have been used to characterize four types of the samples, representative of the two hosted anions (Cl ⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ ) and two times of growth (6 and 24 h). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results permitted to describe the interactions between inorganic anions hosted in the interlamellar space and the metallic cations on the brucite layer. They also allowed giving a tentative explanation of the different morphologies observed by scanning electron microscopy. Copyright © 2016 The Authors Surface and Interface Analysis Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

This study presents a comparison of the piezoelectric properties of nanostructured thin films made of arrays of vertically oriented ZnO-nanorods (ZnO-NRs) over ITO-glass substrate and of ZnO-nanowalls (ZnO-NWs) over aluminium substrate. Both nanostructures were synthesized on a large area through Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD). The morphological, structural and chemical characteristics of the produced nanostructures were investigated in order to assess the crystal quality and purity. To this purpose, we used different techniques, such as Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), Powder X-ray Diffraction (P-XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL). Moreover, the piezoelectric response of the nanostructured films was assessed through Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM). This technique was employed to obtain a quantitative evaluation of the piezoelectric coefficient (d_33) of the film. We obtained d_33 values as high as (7.01$\times$0.33) pm/V for ZnO-NRs and (2.63 $\times$ 0.49) pm/V for ZnO-NWs films.

A novel type of graphene-like nanoparticle, synthesized by oxidation and unfolding of C₆₀ buckminsterfullerene fullerene, showed multiple and reproducible sensitivity to Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and As(III) through different degrees of fluorescence quenching or, in the case of Cd²⁺, through a remarkable fluorescence enhancement. Most importantly, only for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺, the fluorescence intensity variations came with distinct modifications of the optical absorption spectrum. Time-resolved fluorescence study confirmed that the common origin of these diverse behaviors lies in complexation of the metal ions by fullerene-derived carbon layers, even though further studies are required for a complete explanation of the involved processes. Nonetheless, the different response of fluorescence and optical absorbance towards distinct cationic species makes it possible to discriminate between the presence of Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and As(III), through two simple optical measurements. To this end, the use of a three-dimensional calibration plot is discussed. This property makes fullerene-derived nanoparticles a promising material in view of the implementation of a selective, colorimetric/fluorescent detection system.

Thin films of various borides, nitrides, and barium fluorides were tentatively deposited by pulsed laser deposition and by magnetron sputtering in order to develop the components of thermionic‐photovoltaic devices for the high‐temperature thermal to electrical conversion by solid state. To improve the device performance, the materials characterized by a low work function were selected. In the present work, the chemical composition and work function of obtained films were investigated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The values of work function were determined from the cut‐off in the He I valence band spectra. Different films were compared and estimated on the basis of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy results.