Abstract Background Semiconductor doped nanostructure materials have attained considerable attention owing to their electronic, opto-electronic, para-magnetic, photo-catalysis, electro-chemical, mechanical behaviors and their potential applications in different research areas. Doped nanomaterials might be a promising owing to their high-specific surface-area, low-resistances, high-catalytic activity, attractive electro-chemical and optical properties. Nanomaterials are also scientifically significant transition metal-doped nanostructure materials owing to their extraordinary mechanical, optical, electrical, electronic, thermal, and magnetic characteristics. Recently, it has gained significant interest in manganese oxide doped-semiconductor materials in order to develop their physico-chemical behaviors and extend their efficient applications. It has not only investigated the basic of magnetism, but also has huge potential in scientific features such as magnetic materials, bio- & chemi-sensors, photo-catalysts, and absorbent nanomaterials. Results The chemical sensor also displays the higher-sensitivity, reproducibility, long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical responses. The calibration plot is linear (r2 = 0.977) over the 0.1 nM to 50.0 μM 4-nitrophenol concentration ranges. The sensitivity and detection limit is ~4.6667 μA cm-2 μM-1 and ~0.83 ± 0.2 nM (at a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio, SNR of 3) respectively. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report for detection of 4-nitrophenol chemical with doped Mn2O3-ZnO NPs using easy and reliable I-V technique in short response time. Conclusions As for the doped nanostructures, NPs are introduced a route to a new generation of toxic chemo-sensors, but a premeditate effort has to be applied for doped Mn2O3-ZnO NPs to be taken comprehensively for large-scale applications, and to achieve higher-potential density with accessible to individual chemo-sensors. In this report, it is also discussed the prospective utilization of Mn2O3-ZnO NPs on the basis of carcinogenic chemical sensing, which could also be applied for the detection of hazardous chemicals in ecological, environmental, and health care fields.

A novel Ag-alumina hybrid surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform has been designed for the spectroscopic detection of surface reactions in the steady state. Single crystalline and faceted silver (Ag) nanoparticles with strong light scattering were prepared in large quantity, which enables their reproducible self-assembly into large scale monolayers of Raman sensor arrays by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The close packed sensor film contains high density of sub-nm gaps between sharp edges of Ag nanoparticles, which created large local electromagnetic fields that serve as "hot spots" for SERS enhancement. The SERS substrate was then coated with a thin layer of alumina by atomic layer deposition to prevent charge transfer between Ag and the reaction system. The photocatalytic water splitting reaction on a monolayer of anatase TiO2 nanoplates decorated with Pt co-catalyst nanoparticles was employed as a model reaction system. Reaction intermediates of water photo-oxidation were observed at the TiO2/solution interface under UV irradiation. The surface-enhanced Raman vibrations corresponding to peroxo, hydroperoxo and hydroxo surface intermediate species were observed on the TiO2 surface, suggesting that the photo-oxidation of water on these anatase TiO2 nanosheets may be initiated by a nucleophilic attack mechanism. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2014 Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.