The "benzyl alcohol route": An elegant approach towards doped and multimetal oxide nanocrystals: Short review and ZnAl2O4₁n _anostructures by oriented attachment

In this article, the versatility and the potential of the "benzyl alcohol route" for the synthesis of multimetal and doped metal oxides are highlighted in the first part of the manuscript. Among the presented examples, some materials have not been accessible by other solution syntheses and could so far only be obtained through solid state reactions. The second part describes the synthesis and characterization of 5-6 nm ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles which form flower-like aggregates through the oriented attachment crystallization mechanism.