Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents in the Synthesis of Inorganic Nanoparticles

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NDESs), as a new type of green solvent, are used in many fields, including industry in extraction processes, medicine, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, electrodeposition, separations, gas capture, biocatalysis and nanotechnology. Mainly due to their properties, such as simple preparation, environmental friendliness, biocompatibility and multifunctionality, they are being used in various fields of industry. This review aims to provide insight into the applications of natural deep eutectic solvents, specifically in nanotechnology processes. It focuses on the description of NDES and how their physicochemical properties are used to obtain functional nanomaterials, including metals, metal oxides and salts. It highlights how the use of NDESs to obtain a wide range of inorganic nanoparticles enables the elimination of disadvantages of traditional methods of obtaining them, including reducing energy consumption and functionalising nanoparticles in situ. In conclusion, recent advances and future directions in the development and applications of NDESs in nanotechnology are discussed with the aim of identifying unexplained scientific questions that can be investigated in the future.

Synthesis of SnO2, Zn-doped SnO2 and Zn2SnO4 nanostructure-based hierarchical architectures by using deep eutectic precursors and their photocatalytic application

Synthesis of Zn containing SnO₂ nanostructure-based hierarchical architectures by using deep eutectic precursors and their application for methyl orange degradation.

Enhanced gas selectivity induced by surface active oxygen in SnO/SnO2 heterojunction structures at different temperatures

The development of heterojunction structures has been considered as an important step for sensing materials.

The role of oxygen vacancies in the sensing properties of Ni substituted SnO2 microspheres

The influence of Ni doping in SnO₂ microspheres was investigated in this study. SnO₂ was doped with different amounts of Ni using a simple dipping method. The doped SnO₂ structure, which was confirmed from X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies, was shown to possess distinctly more oxygen vacancies. Oxygen vacancies were found to be responsible for the surface adsorption of oxygen, as shown in the O 1s XPS spectrum and O₂-TPD (temperature programmed desorption) measurements which can enhance the sensitivity of materials. According to the gas sensing properties, Ni-doped SnO₂ was enhanced towards ethanol and showed excellent stability at the operating temperature. At 1 ppm of ethanol vapor, the response value of Ni substituted SnO₂ was about 3 times that of pristine SnO₂ microspheres. This research reveals a notable perspective for the design of sensing materials in terms of Ni substitutional doping.

The influence of Ni doping in SnO₂ microspheres was investigated in this study.

Controlled synthesis of pyrochlore Pr2Sn2O7 nanospheres with enhanced gas sensing performance

Uniform pyrochlore Pr₂Sn₂O₇ nanospheres with the diameters of 20–50 nm were synthesized through a simple solvothermal route and the enhanced gas sensing performances of Pr₂Sn₂O₇ nanospheres could be attributed to the unique mesoporous nanospheres.

Porous ZrO2 sheets synthesized using an ionothermal method and their absorption properties

Porous ZrO₂ sheets were synthesized by combining an ionothermal method and heat treatment. NH₄Zr₂F₉ with a sheet-like structure was obtained using the ionothermal method.