Polyoxometalates and Nanoparticle-Based Nanostructured Materials for Advanced Functional Applications

Abstract

This thesis delves into the interplay between nanostructured materials and their performance in applications like energy storage, memory devices, hyperthermia and catalysis. The work centres on two main types of materials: polyoxometalates (POM) for energy storage and memory devices, and iron based nanoparticles supported on carbon nanofibers for hyperthermia and catalysis, providing a comprehensive understanding of nanostructure design and electrochemical behaviour. For POM, the research first focused on optimizing electrode performance through systematic variation of countercations, particularly examining how hydrophobicity and alkyl chain length influence solubility, stability, and interactions with carbon black supports. Materials with long chain cations demonstrated that electrochemical activation could be accelerated by thermal pretreatment of the materials.