Development of ZnO-CeO2/CeO2-ZnO core-shell nanostructures by solvothermal and hydrothermal methods and their UV characteristics.

Abstract

The nanomaterials have already taken a remarkable part in our everyday life due to their unique properties not seen in the respective bulk materials. The developments and innovation in nanomaterials have been considered as the new emerging nanotechnology of this century which has opened numerous opportunities in various fields, such as catalysis, optics, medicine, energy, information, etc. Today the ongoing quest of nanotechnology is to improve existing products by creating better performance at lower cost. Among all multicomponent nanomaterials, core shell nanostructures are an important class of nanostructures which are attractive for their application in catalysis, drug delivery and bioapplications [1] due to their outstanding properties. The core shell nanostructures consist of an inner core and outer shell made of different material; therefore, the combination of different properties of different materials leads to novel properties. On the other hand, the core shell nanoparticles can be easily tuned by changing the size, shape, and components of core as well as thickness and components of shell materials. From the view of bio-applications, the biocompatibility is the most important perspective of these materials. In other words, the biocompatibility of core shell structures can be improved by coating with biomaterials like silica, zinc oxide, polymer, and etc. The toxicity can be decreased, and shell layer can modified with biomolecules [1,2]. With these unique properties, the core shell nanostructures have attracted researchers for large variety of applications in chemistry, biotechnology, material science, energy, such as photocatalysis and optical spectroscopy, sensor, drug delivery, cancer treatment and bioimaging.