Nanostructured Materials Obtained by Electrochemical Methods: From Fabrication to Application in Sensing, Energy Conversion, and Storage

It is well known that physical and surface properties of nanomaterials are promising to enhance efficiency of nanostructured devices for sensing and for sustainable energy production, conversion, and storage. However, the practical use of nanomaterials is often complicated by the lack of scalable and cost-efficient synthesis procedures and the challenge of integrating into devices 1D nanomaterials saving their structural features. In this field, one of the most severe challenges is to find suitable methods for fabricating nanomaterials. Over the years, numerous preparation methods were proposed in the literature, but not all of them are easily scalable and economically advantageous for industrial application. In this context, electrochemical deposition in template is a facile method for fabricating either two- or one-dimensional nanostructured materials because it allows to easily adjusting the fundamental parameters controlling their final features. Electrochemical processes are, usually, cheap and environmental friendly, and they can be easily scaled-up from lab to industrial level. In this chapter, we will describe different electrochemical methods, electrodeposition, galvanic deposition electroless deposition and electrogeneration of base, that permit to obtain different type of nanomaterials such as metals, oxide, and semiconductors. In addition, also the performances of different nanostructured materials are presented.