Regenerated cellulose fibers coated with copper via electroless plating process are investigated for their mechanical properties, molecular structure changes, and suitability for use in sensing applications. Mechanical properties are evaluated in terms of tensile stiffness and strength of fiber tows before, during and after the plating process. The effect of the treatment on the molecular structure of fibers is investigated by measuring their thermal stability with differential scanning calorimetry and obtaining Raman spectra of fibers at different stages of the treatment. Results show that the last stage in the electroless process (the plating step) is the most detrimental, causing changes in fibers’ properties. Fibers seem to lose their structural integrity and develop surface defects that result in a substantial loss in their mechanical strength. However, repeating the process more than once or elongating the residence time in the plating bath does not show a further negative effect on the strength but contributes to the increase in the copper coating thickness, and, subsequently, the final stiffness of the tows. Monitoring the changes in resistance values with applied strain on a model composite made of these conductive tows show an excellent correlation between the increase in strain and increase in electrical resistance. These results indicate that these fibers show potential when combined with conventional composites of glass or carbon fibers as structure monitoring devices without largely affecting their mechanical performance.

Hypothesis: If nanocrystals of such semiconductor as SnO₂ and TiO₂, which are not known as powerful adsorbents, have their surface modified by layer of V₂O₅, how will the adsorption properties be affected? Answering this question would provide a new set of surface properties to be designed by surface engineering of oxide nanocrystals.

Experiments: SnO₂ and TiO₂ colloidal nanocrystals were prepared by coupling sol-gel and solvothermal synthesis. By co-processing with V chloroalkoxide and subsequent heat-treatment at 400-500 °C, surface deposition of V₂O₅ layers was obtained. The methylene blue adsorption onto the prepared materials was tested and compared with the pure oxide supports. Cycling of the materials and analysis of the adsorption process was also investigated.

Findings: The V-modified nanocrystals extracted ∼ 80% methylene blue from 1.5 x 10^-5 M aqueous solution after 15 min only, contrarily to pure materials, which took up only 30% of the dye even after 120 min. Comparison with pure commercial V₂O₅ showed that the peculiar adsorption properties were imparted by the surface deposition of the V₂O₅-like layers. This report demonstrates that new classes of adsorbing materials can be conceived by suitably coupling different metal oxides.

MoO₂ nanocrystals were prepared by solvothermal treatment of a Mo chloromethoxide at 250 °C in oleic acid. The monoclinic MoO2 phase, with a mean crystallite size of 29 nm, formed through reduction of molybdenum bronzes. The as-prepared MoO₂ nanocrystals were free from organics, allowing their use in photodegradation tests of organic pollutants (methylene blue, rhodamine B, paracetamol), without any preliminary purification treatment of the nanocrystals. It was found that MoO₂ was an efficient adsorbent of methylene blue (43 mg g^-1 for 1.5 × 10⁻⁴ M concentration) in the dark and an efficient photodegradation catalyst under visible light (all methylene blue removed from the solution after 240 min). From the analysis of the combined photodegradation tests of rhodamine B and paracetamol, it was clarified that direct sensitization was responsible for photodegradation. This finding was related to the work function value of metallic MoO₂, placed at more negative values if compared with other metallic materials.

Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals were prepared by solvothermal synthesis and modified by in- situ generated Rh nanoparticles, with a starting nominal Rh:Ti atomic concentration of 0.01 and 0.05. After heat-treatment at 400 °C the TiO2 host was still in the anatase crystallographic phase, embedding Rh nanoparticles homogeneously distributed and whose surface had been oxidized to Rh2O3, as established by X-ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, Rh seemed also homogeneously distributed in elemental form or as Rh2O3 nanoclusters. The acetone sensing properties of the resulting materials were enhanced by Rh addition, featuring a response increase of one order of magnitude at the best operating temperature of 300 °C. Moreover, Rh addition enlarged the detection range down to 10 ppm whereas pure TiO2 was not able of giving an appreciable response already at a concentration as high as 50 ppm. From the sensing data, the enhancement of the sensor response was attributed to the finely dispersed Rh species and not to the oxidized Rh nanocrystals.

This thesis is about nanostructured metal oxides, their properties, and some of their applications. Semiconducting metal oxides like TiO₂, ZnO,and SnO₂ have a wide band gap, which means they absorb UV light andgenerate electron-hole pairs. These charge carriers can be harnessed andused for a variety of purposes, such as electricity generation in solar cells,hydrogen production by means of photolysis and electrolysis, andenvironmental remediation by mineralizing pollutants in photocatalyticreactions. However, they are typically not very efficient when comparedwith e.g. noble metals in catalysis or silicon in solar cells , and so a widevariety of strategies have been employed to remedy their weaknesses.Such strategies include structuring the materials at the nanoscale, and thefabrication of composite materials and heterostructures.In this work, some advanced hybrid materials have been studied,composed of metal oxide and various additives, such as reduced grapheneoxide (rGO), other metal oxides, and flavonoids. The materials have beenextensively characterized in order to determine how these additives affectthe processes going on in some of the mentioned applications. Thestudied systems include rGO-ZnO, SnO₂-ZnO, Rh-TiO₂, MoO₂, SiO₂coupled to 3-hydroxyflavone and 7-hydroxyflavone, and 3-hydroxyflavone-TiO₂.Particles of ZnO-encapsulated rGO exhibited a good photocatalyticactivity towards the degradation of rhodamine B and phenol, but it wasfound that the main determinant of the performance was the quality ofthe semiconductor component as opposed to any favorable interactionsbetween ZnO and rGO. However, the incorporation of rGO could stillalmost double the observed performance, which was attributed to apassivation of the defects in the metal oxide host, as well as a beneficialimpact of electrochemical properties such as charge transfer resistance anddouble-layer capacitance of the resulting material.Core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a SnO₂ core and a ZnO shell weresuccessfully synthesized and employed as photocatalyst and as photoanodein dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The ZnO shell improved theperformance in both photocatalysis and DSSCs by nearly a factor of two,due to a combination of the favorable properties of the two metal oxides ,and the formation of a heterojunction in the interface between them.Rhodium as an additive to TiO₂ nanocrystals proved to effectivelyimprove the response in gas sensing experiments. The rhodium exhibitedcomplex speciation, however, being distributed as a homogeneouscoating of Rh(III) as well as nanocrystals of elemental rhodium,highlighting the need for deep characterization in this class of materials.Metallic MoO₂ nanocrystals were synthesized and tested in photocatalysis.Due to their electronic nature, they cannot support photocatalysisaccording to the traditional reaction scheme, because metals cannotgenerate electron-hole pairs. However, they still exhibited significantphotocatalytic activity towards methylene blue, rhodamine B, andparacetamol. This was attributed to a direct sensitization mechanismwhere the dye is photoexcited and undergoes electron transfer, madepossible due to the comparatively low work function in MoO₂. This alsoenables it to assist in the degradation of non-absorbing molecules in thesolution. 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF) and 7-hydroxyflavone (7HF) were combinedwith MCM-41 silica nanoparticles via a post-doping procedure, and theirphotophysics characterized by steady-state and time-resolvedspectroscopic techniques. Both flavonoid-coated nanoparticles turned outto be highly fluorescent and stable when exposed to air at roomtemperature, showing that organic fluorophore-based solid-state emitterscan be obtained by simple methods. Furthermore, 3HF was coupled toTiO₂ nanoparticles with a similarly simple adsorption procedure. In thiscase the result was a chemisorption of the flavonoid, which appears to bevery similar to a chelation of the metal ions in the metal oxide substrate.The fluorescence in the resulting materials is nearly completely quenched,but when a nanometer-thin layer of Al₂O₃ is applied on the TiO₂, it isinstead strongly enhanced. This work therefore represents a rather noveland facile way to produce flavonoid-metal complexes.

Spurred by controversial literature findings, we enwrapped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in ZnO hierarchical microstructures (rGO loadings spanning from 0.01 to 2 wt%) using an in situ synthetic procedure. The obtained hybrid composites were carefully characterized, aiming at shining light on the possible role of rGO on the claimed increased performance as photocatalysts. Several characterization tools were exploited to unveil the effect exerted by rGO, including steady state and time resolved photoluminescence, electron microscopies and electrochemical techniques, in order to evaluate the physical, optical and electrical features involved in determining the catalytic degradation of rhodamine B and phenol in water.

Several properties of native ZnO structures were found changed upon the rGO enwrapping (including optical absorbance, concentration of native defects in the ZnO matrix and double-layer capacitance), which are all involved in determining the photocatalytic performance of the hybrid composites. The findings discussed in the present work highlight the high complexity of the field of application of graphene-derivatives as supporters of semiconducting metal oxides functionality, which has to be analyzed through a multi-parametric approach.

Flavones and flavonols are naturally-occurring organic molecules with interesting biological, chemical and photophysical properties. In recent years their interaction with silica surfaces has received increasing attention. In this work, the flavonol 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF) and the flavone 7-hydroxyflavone (7HF) have been encapsulated in MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles (NP) via a post-doping procedure, and their photophysics characterized by both steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Both flavonoid-doped NPs resulted to be highly fluorescent, even after two months of exposure to air at room temperature. UV light irradiation results in a moderate decrease of the fluorescence quantum yield. Complementary UV-Vis and fluorescence experiments of 3HF and 7HF in solutions and TD-DFT calculations to simulate absorption and emission spectra have been carried out in order to better rationalize the exact nature of the emitting species. Whereas for 3HF-doped NPs the tautomer emission in the green predominates, the fluorescence of 7HF-doped NPs is likely to arise from the cationic or the phototautomeric form of the flavonoid. The results show that organic fluorophore-based fluorescent silica NPs can be easily obtained by a post-doping procedure and represent a first step towards the development of a simple strategy for the encapsulation in MCM-41 NPs of flavonoids and other organic molecules.

The data presented here concern the photophysical characterization of luminescent MCM-41 nanoparticles doped with 3-hydroxyflavone and 7-hydroxyflavone, two fluorescent flavonoids. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra obtained on freshly-prepared samples and aged (2 months exposed to air) samples are shown. The effect of light exposure is also studied. In parallel, experiments have been carried out in acetonitrile solutions of the two flavonoids as a term of comparison. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations have also been used to simulate UV-Vis and emission spectra of different species for both flavonoids (neutral molecule, tautomers, cationic and anionic forms), taking into account the effect of the surrounding medium (solvent). Density functional theory calculations of vibrational spectra (IR, Raman) of neutral and tautomeric species of 3HF and 7HF are also provided.

Herein, a reduced graphene oxide–zinc oxide (rGO–ZnO) hybrid nanocomposite (1 wt% rGO) is synthesized and heat treated at different temperatures, aimed at modulating the intrinsic bulk/surface defects naturally present in nano‐ZnO. The correlation of both the dispersion of rGO within the metal oxide scaffold and the defects present on the semiconductor crystalline lattice with the photocatalytic performance toward the degradation of a molecular dye in water is investigated and discussed. It is shown that several processes compete to determine the catalytic skill of the nanocomposite, which can be enhanced by a simple thermal treatment at moderate temperatures.

3-hydroxyflavone (3HF) is chemisorbed on TiO2 nanoparticle films with an Al2O3 interlayer through a facile dip coating process. The films are characterized with UV-Vis and IR absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The 3HF adduct is shown to bond to the substrate through the carbonyl group, resulting in a bathochromic shift in its absorption spectra similar to that observed in 3HF-metal chelates. The emission spectrum is quenched in the case of adsorption on TiO2, but strongly enhanced in the case of Al2O3, with a quantum yield (9.3%) exceeding that of uncoordinated 3HF in acetonitrile.

This Perspective presents and discusses the most recent advancements in the field of exploitation of hybrid nanostructured composites consisting of semiconducting metal oxides and graphene and its derivatives (graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes) in specific fields of applications, namely, photovoltaics, water splitting, photocatalysis, and supercapacitors. These hybrid materials have received remarkable attention over the last decade thanks to claimed outstanding functional optoelectronic properties, especially as for (photogenerated) charge carriers storage and transport, allowing the promotion of useful reactions and enhancement of the efficiency of several processes based on charge exchange. In situ and ex situ synthetic strategies have been applied in order to optimize the contact between the two partners and efforts have as well been devoted to investigate the best amount of carbon material to insert in the semiconductor scaffold. We provide the reader with an overview of the research carried out in the last decade, together with a critical analysis of the claimed benefits provided by the carbon materials, also highlighting the current questions waiting for the scientific community to provide an answer to.

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the bottleneck for the practical exploitation of water splitting. Here, the potential of a core–shell structure of hydrous NiMoO₄ microrods conformally covered by Co₃O₄ nanoparticles via atomic layer depositions is demonstrated. In situ Raman and synchrotron-based photoemission spectroscopy analysis confirms the leaching out of Mo facilitates the catalyst reconstruction, and it is one of the centers of active sites responsible for higher catalytic activity. Post OER characterization indicates that the leaching of Mo from the crystal structure, induces the surface of the catalyst to become porous and rougher, hence facilitating the penetration of the electrolyte. The presence of Co₃O₄ improves the onset potential of the hydrated catalyst due to its higher conductivity, confirmed by the shift in the Fermi level of the heterostructure. In particular NiMoO₄@Co₃O₄ shows a record low overpotential of 120 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², sustaining a remarkable performance operating at a constant current density of 10, 50, and 100 mA cm⁻² with negligible decay. Presented outcomes can significantly contribute to the practical use of the water-splitting process, by offering a clear and in-depth understanding of the preparation of a robust and efficient catalyst for water-splitting.

The optoelectronic features of 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF) self-assembled on the surface of an n-type semiconducting metal oxide (TiO2) and an insulator (Al2O3) are herein investigated. 3HF molecules use the coordinatively unsaturated metal ions present on the oxide surface to form metal complexes, which exhibit different behaviors upon light irradiation, depending on the nature of the metal ion. Specifically, we show that the photoluminescence of the surface species can be modulated according to the chemical properties of the complex (i.e. the binding metal ion), resulting in solid-state emitters in a high quantum yield (about 15%). Furthermore, photoinduced charge injection can be promoted or inhibited, providing a multifunctional hybrid system.

Carbon aerogels prepared from low-cost renewable resources are promising electrode materials for future energy storage applications. However, their electrochemical properties must be significantly improved to match the commercially used high-carbon petroleum products. This paper presents a facile method for the green synthesis of carbon aerogels (CAs) from lignocellulosic materials and graphene dots (GDs) from commercially available biochar. The produced carbon aerogels exhibited a hierarchical porous structure, which facilitates energy storage by forming an electrical double-layer capacitance. Surprisingly, the electrochemical analyses of the GD-doped carbon aerogels revealed that in comparison to pristine carbon aerogels, the surface doping of GDs enhanced the electrochemical performance of carbon aerogels, which can be attributed to the combined effect from both double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance. Herein, we designed and demonstrated the efficacy of a supercapacitor device using our green carbon electrode as a sustainable option. These green carbon aerogels have opened a window for their practical use in designing sustainable energy storage devices.