Photoinduced Topological Transformation in Mesoscopic Inorganic Nanoparticles: Application as a UV Sensor

Achieving topological transformation in an inorganic chemical system is an ongoing challenge. We show that such a topological transformation can be achieved in a simple metal-oxide based inorganic system of soft-oxometalates (SOMs). Starting from a dispersion of heptamolybdate-based SOM nanotubes, molybdenum blue SOM nanospheres were synthesised by application of UV-irradiation. This transformation is accompanied by a colour change of the system from colourless to blue. The starting material and product were characterised based on an array of techniques including scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, horizontal attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The possibility of using this system as a UV detector is also discussed.