Design, fabrication and electronic structure of oriented metal oxide nanorod-arrays

Materials chemistry has emerged as one of the most consistent fabrication tool for the rational delivery of high purity functional nanomaterials, engineered from molecular to macroscopic scale at low cost and large scale. An overview of the major achievements and latest advances of a recently developed growth concept and low temperature aqueous synthesis method for the fabrication of purpose-built large bandgap metal oxide semiconductor materials and oriented nano-arrays are presented. Important fundamental insights of direct relevance for semiconductor technology, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and solar hydrogen generation are revealed by in-depth investigations of the electronic structure of metal oxide nanostructures with new morphology and architecture carried out at synchrotron radiation facilities.