Advances in chemically tailored metal alkoxide as single-source precursors for engineered oxide nanostructures

Metal oxide nanostructures are of significant importance in several fields such as chemistry, physics, and materials science due to their diverse range of practical applications. Oxides are extensively utilized in various technical applications, including the production of sensors, piezoelectric devices, microelectronic circuits, coatings, catalysts, and solar cells. Owing to their small size, oxide nanoparticles exhibit special physical and chemical characteristics. The utilization of the single-source precursor technique exhibits potential as a viable method for the synthesis of nanoscale materials. However, its successful implementation necessitates the availability of appropriately customized precursors. Chemically altered metal/hetero-metal alkoxides exhibit promise as viable precursor materials for the fabrication of pristine metal/hetero-metal oxides at the nanoscale. These precursors have significant potential for the synthesis of new materials due to their ability to regulate precursor reactivity in sol-gel and spray pyrolysis processes, as well as facilitate the production of inorganic-organic hybrid materials. Microstructures ranging from nano-rods (∼100 nm) to nanowires of SnO₂ have been realized using the sol-gel method and have generated nano-alumina (Al₂O₃) particle sizes ranging from 30 nm to 7 nm, depending on the degree of modification. The modification of alkoxides can be achieved by the exchange of alkoxy groups with chelating ligands, such as Schiff's bases, oximes, glycols, carboxylic acids, and other similar compounds. The chelating ligands in question exert their influence on the alkoxide precursor at a molecular level, so altering the hydrolysis-condensation process as a whole. Consequently, they serve as agents that direct the structure and govern the size of the resulting product.