Metal oxides represent one of the most traditional classes of materials, yet this field has been enjoying a renaissance since the rising of nanotechnology. With rational control of sizes, structures, components, and morphologies, metal oxides nanostructures can possess novel optical, electronic, magnetic, and/or mechanical properties that may not exist in bulk forms. These properties have enabled applications of metal oxides in various areas, including electronics, photonics, sensors, catalysis, photovoltaics, and batteries. However, a specific metal oxide nanostructure usually exhibits one particular function, while many applications will benefit from multifunctional metal oxides that integrate multiple aspects of these properties, for example, gas sensors that can also detect humidity or temperature and magnets that simultaneously show ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity (i.e., multiferroics). Such integration of functions requires innovations in synthesis, functionalization, assembly and characterization of nanostructures, which will inspire new applications of metal oxides, and addressing issues of global impact, such as challenges of energy and sustainability.

This special issue will focus on multifunctional metal oxide nanostructures. We are especially interested in perovskite-type metal oxides, oxide-based nanophotonic materials, and semiconducting oxides for sensing and photocatalytic applications. We invite investigators to submit their work in the form of original research articles and review articles that will stimulate the development of metal oxide nanostructures as multifunctional materials.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Synthesis and characterization of multifunctional metal oxide nanomaterials
• Surface functionalization and assembly of metal oxide nanostructures
• Inorganic-organic hybrid metal oxides and composites
• Metal oxide nanomaterials for photovoltaics and photocatalysis
• Metal oxide gas sensors
• Theoretical work on structure-morphology-property relations of metal oxides