| Abstract Scope |
Metal oxide nanostructures have received an increasing attention owing to their unique chemical and physical properties along with their widespread applications in various fields. Recently, we developed a novel protocol – christened Hydroxides-Derived Nanostructures, or HDNs – in which hydroxide aqueous solutions (mostly tetramethylammonium hydroxide, TMAH) are reacted at temperatures < 100 °C and under atmospheric pressure with various metal-containing precursors to scalably prepare novel metal oxide nanostructures. In one case, a dozen commercial and earth abundant Ti-containing powders such as binary carbides, nitrides, borides, among others, are converted into new, 1D TiO2-based lepidocrocite (1DL) nanofilaments (NFs). Application-wise, the 1DLs show outstanding performance in a number of energy, environmental, and biomedical fields such as photo- and electrocatalysis, water splitting, lithium–sulfur and lithium-ion batteries, water purification, dye degradation, cancer therapy, and polymer composites. In addition to 1DL, the HDNs family encompasses other metal oxides nanostructures including magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and MnO2 birnessite-based crystalline 2D flakes. The latter showed promise in electrochemical energy conversion and storage applications. The developed recipe provides a new vista in the molecular self-assembly synthesis of nanomaterials that can advance the field with a library of novel nanostructures with substantial implications in a multitude of fields. |