Water-oxide interfacial control and Nanomaterials design

A novel concept based on a general thermodynamic model of nucleation and growth monitoring by chemical and electrostatic control of the water-oxide interfacial tension and an aqueous thin film direct growth technique have been developed to fabricate very large 3-D arrays of crystalline transition and post transition metal oxides and oxyhydroxides onto various substrates at mild temperatures. The goal is the low-cost design of a new generation of functional purposebuilt metal oxide particulate thin films consisting of nano-, meso- and micro-scale building-blocks of controlled size, morphology, and orientation. Such well-designed materials should lead to a better fundamental understanding of the electronic structure and physical/chemical properties of nanomaterials as well as to contribute to the development of novel and optimized nanodevices.