Metal/oxide interfaces in inorganic nanosystems: what's going on and what's next?

Metal/oxide nanosystems with different spatial organizations have attracted a remarkable interest for their unique features and multi-functional properties, which can be finely tuned by controlling the interplay between their structure, morphology and composition. Their assembly and ultimate utilization depend indeed on the nature of metal/oxide interfaces, the birthplaces of a multitude of fascinating phenomena. A detailed insight into interfacial chemical/physical properties by advanced experimental techniques would thus deliver significant advantages from both a fundamental and an applicative point of view.