Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been widely studied over the last decade for its remarkable properties in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices because of its high electron mobility and excitonic properties, probably the broadest range of nanostructured forms, and their ease and low cost of synthesis by a wide variety of methods. The volume of recent work on ZnO nanostructures and their devices can potentially overshadow significant developments in the field. Therefore, there is a need for a concise description of the most recent advances in the field. In this review, we focus on the effect of ZnO nanostructure morphologies on the performance of ZnO-based solar cells sensitized using methylammonium lead iodide perovskite. We present an exhaustive discussion of the synthesis routes for different ZnO nanostructure morphologies, ways to control the morphology, and the impact of morphology on the photo-conversion efficiency of a given PSC.

Anode materials based on TiO2 nanoparticles of different morphologies were prepared using the hydrothermal method and characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (DRX), scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and N2 absorption. The TiO2 nanoparticles prepared were used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and their electrochemical properties were tested using discharging/charging measurements. The results showed that the initial morphology of the nanoparticles plays a minor role in battery performance after the first few cycles and that better capacity was achieved for TiO2 nanobelt morphology. The sharp drop in the specific capacity of LIB during their first cycles is examined considering changes in the morphology of TiO2 particles and their porosity properties in terms of shape and connectivity.

Studying the dynamics of urban form means questioning the processes of evolution of the form in general. The discussion on the architecture of buildings and urban spaces has drawn the concept of adaptation from the theories of natural evolution. These notes propose a reflection on the opposite concept of exaptation proposed by the biologist and paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould in 1982. Through some examples (some different transformations of the Roman amphitheaters of the imperial age and the metamorphoses that occurred to the Chinese urban fabrics, originally made by courtyard houses, in the contemporary city), it is possible to extend to urban form the idea of casual co-optation for new uses of organs and anatomical parts developed for other reasons. This kind of reflections opens up innovative considerations on the potential of transitional urban analysis and its repercussions on evolutive urban transformation processes.

Grounded on urban morphology studies, the research tries to overcome the analysis of the permanents elements of the city seeking for a transitional paradigm in urban morphology, aiming at grasping the dynamics in urban evolution and providing operative tools for urban regeneration design in an adaptive approach. A combination of four actions of urban analysis is here suggested to highlight urban dynamics: a. Sorting the transitional steps of urban morphologies (within rapid market processes), b. Underlining rules and Processes characterizing urban coding in transition, c. Mapping urban assemblages in the adaptive city and d. Reading and representing urban permutation phenomenon. The results of this multifaced and multidimensional set of analytical tools allow to outline a new design thinking paradigm moving towards a parametric approach to urban design of cities in transition broadening the extent of urban regeneration process and supporting urban policies in the framework community based approach.

In this article, we first present and discuss eighteenth-century descriptions of minerals that contributed decisively to the development of crystallography. Remarkably, these old crystallographic descriptions included morphologies with symmetries incompatible with an internal periodic order of atoms, which, however, have been recognised to be characteristics of quasicrystals. Moreover, we also review a number of studies of minerals with aperiodic crystal structures, including recently reported natural quasicrystals of extra-terrestrial origin. Finally, we discuss the current investigations addressing the search for new quasicrystalline minerals in nature.