Review—Development of Inorganic Nanostructures by Microwave Synthesis Technique

Abstract

We present an overview of microwave-assisted synthesis method to develop inorganic nanostructured materials, which have received great interest due to their potential applications in different fields of science and technology. The current trend for the adoption of eco-friendly synthesis methods for the preparation of nanomaterials has thrown a challenge to develop synthetic methods that offer significant reduction in reaction time, lower energy consumption and less use of toxic chemicals. The microwave (MW) assisted synthesis route can play the role of a potential green synthesis approach to prepare inorganic nanostructured materials and their composites. In addition, the MW assisted route provides uniform heating throughout the reaction mixture and minimizes the non-uniform temperature profile, which results in the formation of uniform small nanoparticles. This review discusses the basic principles of MW synthesis to understand the MW heating mechanism. In addition, we discuss recent progress on the development of inorganic nanostructures in liquid phase by MW synthesis technique. Finally, we present the application of microwave synthesized nanomaterials in the development of battery technology, followed by safety features and future aspects of MW synthesis.

Engineering chemical pathways for phase-tuned nanocrystalline iron oxides in microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis

“…Microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis (MASS) of nanocrystalline metal oxides offers a new paradigm for synthetic chemistry and materials research. 1–4 It is a high-throughput process with a low thermal budget, while providing inherently homogeneous heating of the reactant solution owing to the microwave dielectric heating of the constituent mix of solvents and reactants. 2,5–7 MASS is kinetically driven, which leads to elusive yet technologically important microstructures of functional oxides.…”