An electrochemical approach for manufacturing light-driven nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO ) microengines with controlled spatial architecture for improved performance is reported. The microengines based on microscale arrays of TiO nanotubes with variable (50-120 nm) inner diameter show a quasi-ordered arrangement of nanotubes, being the smallest tubular entities for catalytic microengines reported to date. The nanotubes exhibit well defined crystalline phases depending upon the postfabrication annealing conditions that determine the microengines' efficiency. When exposed to UV-light, the microarrays of TiO nanotubes exhibiting conical internal shapes show directed motion in confined space, both in the presence and absence of hydrogen peroxide. In the former case, two different motion patterns related to diffusiophoresis and localized nanobubble generation inside of the tubes due to the photocatalytic decomposition of H O are disclosed. Controlled pick-up, transport, and release of individual and agglomerated particles are demonstrated using the UV light irradiation of microengines. The obtained results show that light-driven microengines based on microarrays of TiO nanotubes represent a promising platform for controlled micro/nanoscale sample transportation in fluids as well as for environmental applications, in particular, for the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants due to the improved intermixing taking place during the motion of TiO microengines.

The development of functional microstructures with designed hierarchical and complex morphologies and large free active surfaces offers new potential for improvement of the pristine microstructures properties by the synergistic combination of microscopic as well as nanoscopic effects. In this contribution, dedicated methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including tomography are used to characterize the complex hierarchically structured hybrid GaN/ZnO:Au microtubes containing a dense nanowire network on their interior. The presence of an epitaxially stabilized and chemically extremely stable ultrathin layer of ZnO on the inner wall of the produced GaN microtubes is evidenced. Gold nanoparticles initially trigger the catalytic growth of solid solution phase (Ga1–xZnx)(N1–xOx) nanowires into the interior space of the microtube, which are found to be terminated by AuGa‐alloy nanodots coated in a shell of amorphous GaOx species after the hydride vapor phase epitaxy process. The structural characterization suggests that this hierarchical design of GaN/ZnO microtubes could offer the potential to exhibit improved photocatalytic properties, which are initially demonstrated under UV light irradiation. As a proof of concept, the produced microtubes are used as photocatalytic micromotors in the presence of hydrogen peroxide solution with luminescent properties, which are appealing for future environmental applications and active matter fundamental studies.

In this paper, fabrication of a new material is reported, the so-called Aero-Ga2O3 or Aerogallox, which represents an ultra-porous and ultra-lightweight three-dimensional architecture made from interconnected microtubes of gallium oxide with nanometer thin walls. The material is fabricated using epitaxial growth of an ultrathin layer of gallium nitride on zinc oxide microtetrapods followed by decomposition of sacrificial ZnO and oxidation of GaN which according to the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations, is transformed gradually in β-Ga2O3 with almost stoichiometric composition. The investigations show that the developed ultra-porous Aerogallox exhibits extremely low reflectivity and high transmissivity in an ultrabroadband electromagnetic spectrum ranging from X-band (8–12 GHz) to several terahertz which opens possibilities for quite new applications of gallium oxide, previously not anticipated.

Titania nanotube arrays have been prepared by anodic oxidation of titanium foils in an electrolyte solution containing a mixture of hydrofluoric acid, ethylene glycol, and phosphoric acid. The initially amor phous nanotubes were found to crystalize in an anatase phase upon thermal treatment at 500°C. Anatase crys talline phase showed a significant improvement in the photocatalytic properties of the prepared samples, which was evaluated by studying their efficiency towards Rhodamine B dye degradation. Additionally, the effect of doping titania nanotubes with noble metals (e.g. Ag, Pt, and Au), or covering their surface with noble metal nanoparticles, was studied regarding their capabilities towards the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye. A positive effect when samples were doped with Ag was revealed.

The electrodynamic properties of the first aero-material based on compound semiconductor, namely of Aero-GaN, in the terahertz frequency region are experimentally investigated. Spectra of complex dielectric permittivity, refractive index, surface impedance are measured at frequencies 4–100 cm−1 and in the temperature interval 4–300 K. The shielding properties are found based on experimental data. The aero-material shows excellent shielding effectiveness in the frequency range from 0.1 to 1.3 THz, exceeding 40 dB in a huge frequency bandwidth, which is of high interest for industrial applications. These results place the aero-GaN among the best THz shielding materials known today.