Structure and morphology of nanostructured oxides synthesized by thermal vaporization/magnetron sputtering and gas condensation

A new class of oxides with three-dimensional nanoscale structures, called nanostructured oxides, is studied and reviewed in this paper. These materials were assembled from clusters of 5-15 nm, produced through vaporization by Joule-heating or magnetron sputtering in an inert atmosphere. The volatilized monomers were condensed by the "cold" inert gas atoms, and were aggregated into clusters by collisions between monomers. The bulk and interfacial structures of nanostructured oxides were studied with photoacoustic Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (PAS-FTIR). Morphology of the nanometer-sized crystals was elucidated with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The structure and morphology of the fine-grained materials were related to their various unique properties for potential applications as structural and catalytic materials.