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Herein, we report the synthesis of SnO, Cu₂O and SnO-Cu₂O mixed oxide thin films on fluorinedoped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (AACVD) process using [Cu (dmae)₂(H₂O)] and [Sn (dmae) (OAc)]₂ as molecular precursors for SnO and Cu₂O, respectively at 400 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern can be ascribed to the tetragonal phase of SnO crystals with space group P4 and cubic phase of Cu₂O crystals with space group Pn- 3m/nmm, respectively. The surface morphology characteristics of SnO, Cu₂O and SnO-Cu₂Omixed oxide have been investigated using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) which revealed that the SnO was grown homogeneously in cubical shape while Cu₂O possess nano balls shaped morphologies. The UV band gap values of SnO-Cu₂O mixed oxide thin film was found to be 2.6 eV appropriate for photoelectrochemical (PEC) applications. The synthesized material was proposed for PEC applications and has shown enhanced catalytic performance in the presence of light.

Here we report development of a hydroquinone (HQ) electrochemical sensor using nanosized manganese doped titanium oxide as a composite material. The nanomaterial was synthesized with sol gel method using calculated amount of Mn and Ti atoms resulting into a composite metal oxide. Morphological observations indicated a uniform particle size and shape distribution with almost spherical shape and size of about 20–30 nm. While structural analysis indicated formation of mixed phase of TiO₂ and MnO forming MnTiO₃. The synthesized nanomaterial was used as a matrix for fabrication of hydroquinone electrochemical sensor and tested over a wide range from 2 mM to 10 mM. The developed electrochemical sensor exhibited sensitivity of 2.96 μA mM⁻¹ (23.55 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²) with a detection limit of 7.5 μM, which is rarely reported for such composite nanomaterial.

Here we report a simple and effective method in tailoring the optoelectronic properties of semi-conducting metal oxide for suitable device application. Sol-gel synthesis was used to synthesize manganese doped TiO2 nanopowder and commercially available TiO2 nanopowder was used as reference material. Thick films of these powder were screen printed on FTO coated glass and annealed at 450 degrees C in ambient air. Separately, 60 μL of neodymium chloride prepared from neodymium oxide, 60 μL of ruthenium based commercial dye (N719) and 60 μL of extracts of calendula orange and dog flower were used as sensitizer to improve the photoconductance properties. Elemental analysis confirmed synthesis of composite material of Mn and TiO2. Morphological observation showed a uniform particles of 25 to 50 nm diameter. Optoelectronic properties were studied by using thick films of these powders as working electrode as a function of wavelength from 430 to 750 nm and the cyclic voltammogram were obtained by scanning potential from -1.5 V to +1.5 V at the illumination intensity of 1000 Wm(-2). Sensitization resulted in additional absorption and functional bands. Oxidation peak current was found decreasing with increasing wavelength. Sensitization with flower extract resulted in increased oxidation current at higher wavelength indicating the improved photoconduction in comparison with N719 and neodymium.