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15 16 High quality single crystal hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanocubes with average dimensions of 40 nm 17 were successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. Systematic analyses 18 were performed to investigate the morphological-, structural-and optical-properties of the as-19 synthesized α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocubes. Continuous formation and hourly monitored towards proper 20 arrangement of single crystal α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocubes are observed throughout the hydrothermal 21 heating process of 180°C started from 4 h to 12 h. The probable growth mechanism on the 22 formation of cubic nanostructures is also proposed. Electron micrographs show the cubic α-23 Fe 2 O 3 synthesized at the most optimum 8 h hydrothermal heating duration are indeed 24produced in high-yield and with well-defined cubical shape. Typical rhombohedral structure 25 of cubic α-Fe 2 O 3 was evident by the XRD pattern. The SAED pattern indicates that the α-26

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Two-dimensional carbon nanowall (2D-CNW) structures were prepared by hot wire assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (hw-PECVD) system on silicon substrates. Controlled variations in the film structure were observed with increase in applied rf power during deposition which has been established to increase the rate of dissociation of precursor gases. The structural changes resulted in the formation of wavy-like features on the 2D-CNW, thus further enhancing the surface area of the nanostructures. The FESEM results confirmed the morphology transformation and conclusively showed the evolution of the 2D-CNW novel structures while Raman results revealed increase in D / G ratio indicating increase in the presence of disordered domains due to the presence of open edges on the 2D-CNW structures. Subsequently, the best 2D-CNW based on the morphology and structural properties was functionalized with tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanoparticles and used as a working electrode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurement system. Intriguingly, the SnO 2 functionalized 2D-CNW showed enhancement in both Mott-Schottky profiles and LSV properties which suggested that these hierarchical networks showed promising potential application as effective charge-trapping medium in PEC systems.

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