Dear Colleagues,

Following the remarkable success of the first volume of this Special Issue, entitled “Novel ZnO-Based Nanostructures: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications” (https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/journal/crystals/special_issues/ZnO_nanostructures), we are pleased to announce the second volume of this Special Issue.

ZnO is a multifunctional material possessing unique electrical, optical, acoustic, thermal, and mechanical properties. Nanostructured ZnO is one of the most fascinating nanomaterials because of its outstanding properties, including its wide direct bandgap, high electron mobility, piezoelectricity, antimicrobial activity, chemical and thermal stability, and biocompatibility. With easy and low-cost growth techniques, including new green approaches, ZnO nanomaterials present a wide variety of geometrical shapes, such as nanoparticles, nanorods, nanowires, nanobelts, nanosprings, nanocombs, etc.

Many promising applications have been developed around the ZnO nanostructures, such as transparent electronics, smart windows, piezoelectric devices, UV-lasers, UV photodetectors, gas sensors, chemical sensors, optofluidic devices, and biosensors. In addition, the ferromagnetic properties of ZnO, doped with “rare-earth metals”, show potential for spintronic-based devices.

In recent years, ZnO has been considered amongst the best photocatalysts for water and air purification and for use in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting process. Furthermore, due to its biocompatibility, in addition to its antibacterial and other novel properties, ZnO has been utilized in a variety of applications, such as drug delivery, cancer treatment, bio-imaging, medical products, sunscreens, skin lotions, etc. 

As an n-type semiconductor, ZnO is also widely used in various solar cell structures, including dye-sensitized, organic, hybrid, and solid-state solar cells. Furthermore, the nanostructured forms lead to an increased light absorption capability, while also increasing the electron pathways for carrier collection. Both factors favor light harvesting and, hence, the solar cell efficiency. Various doping methods could improve the performance of ZnO-based materials.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit original research papers, as well as review papers, within the scope of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Yamin Leprince-Wang
Prof. Dr. Guangyin Jing
Dr. Basma El Zein
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• ZnO nanostructures
• synthesis
• characterization
• photocatalysis
• water slitting
• water purification
• air purification
• solar cells
• piezoelectric generator
• sensing
• thermoelectric properties
• non-wetting and self-cleaning
• antimicrobial
• opto-fluidics

Tentative title: Antibacterial Merits by ZnO Nanomaterials

Authors: Feng Wei, Guangyin Jing

Affiliation: School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China

Tentative title: ZnO Nanostructures-Based Photocatalysis for Water Purification

Authors: Prof. Dr. Yamin Leprince-Wang

Affiliation: ESYCOM Laboratory, Université Gustave Eiffel (UGE), 77420 Champs sur Marne, France