Zinc oxide nanocrystals are synthesized using the chemical vapor synthesis (CVS) technique. Diethylzinc is used as zinc precursor. Synthesized zinc oxide nanocrystals are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption and desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic laser scattering. As-synthesized zinc oxide has a primary particle size of about 10 nm and an isoelectric point at pH 9.5. The surface of zinc oxide nanocrystals can be modified using short chain organic acids like formic acid and glycine as well as using low molecular weight polyacrylic acid (PAA). The isoelectric point shifts towards acidic pH when glycine is used as surface modifier whereas it shifts towards basic pH with formic acid. The use of PAA eliminates the isoelectric point with very high value of zeta potential over the range of pH studied in these experiments.

Chemical Vapor Synthesis (CVS) is the conversion of molecular species into nanocrystalline particles by chemical reactions in a gas flow reactor. Pure anatase nanoparticles are generated in a hot wall reactor from titanium isopropoxide using different time-temperature-profiles. The time-temperature-profile (T(t)-profile) in the gas phase of the reactor has a profound influence on the particle characteristics such as particle microstructure and surface chemistry and, therefore, on the quality of the powder consisting of nanocrystalline particles. In this study a simple reaction-coagulation-sintering model (CVSSIN) was used to predict influence of the T(t)-profile on the powder characteristics. The as-synthesized anatase powders show a very high degree of crystallinity, primary particle of about 10 nm sizes and a low degree of agglomeration.

Mesoporous templated MCM-48 silica was prepared using a C16 surfactant as template. The MCM-48 powders and thin films were characterized by different techniques. Two types of porous supports were used, namely macroporous á-alumina and silicon microsieves. The supported MCM-48 layers were applied as liquid permeable membranes in pressure-driven nanofiltration and electric field-mediated ion transport experiments.