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In this work, a direct comparison of the properties of the TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by microwave and solvothermal methods were carried out and its performance as photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) was analyzed. Though previously some works exist on the preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles by solvothermal or microwave methods, they could not be compared directly as the experiment conditions such as choice of solvent, precursors and reaction temperatures were not virtually same. Herein, TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave and solvothermal methods using the same initial precursors and properties of the prepared nanoparticles were compared. From the X-ray diffraction pattern and Raman analysis, the prepared nanoparticles in both the cases were found to be of anatase phase. Optical properties and its carrier lifetime were studied using UV–Vis absorption, photoluminescence (PL) analysis and PL lifetime studies, respectively. Further, its morphology analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, and SAED (selected area electron diffraction) patterns reveals the polycrystalline nature of the prepared nanoparticles. The surface area and the pore size distribution were studied using BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) and BJH (Barrett–Joyner–Halenda) analysis, which revealed its mesoporous nature and uniform pore distribution. The chemical states of the prepared nanoparticles were further characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The DSSC was fabricated using the prepared TiO2 nanoparticles as photoanodes. Further, the power conversion efficiency and the electron transport properties were analyzed.

In the present work, Nickel doped Molybdenum trioxide (NixMoO3) where Ni = X (X = 5, 10, and 15%) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a wet chemical method. These nano crystals are structurely analysized by X-ray diffraction and confirm the formation of orthorhombic structure in both MoO3 and Ni-doped MoO3 samples. The impact of Ni doping on crystallite size, micro strain, and texture co efficient are obtained from XRD pattern. The morphology studies of FE-SEM and HR-TEM show that the presence of one dimensional (1D) nanorods with an average diameter of particle size around 28–32 nm and the compositional stoichiometry is confirmed by EDAX technique. The functional group and the vibrational mode of metal oxide (Mo = O) are confirmed by FT-IR spectra. The photocatalytic activities of pure and Ni-doped MoO3 are attributed to the degradation efficiency under UV–Visible light irradiation. The result shows that these structure exhibits promising degradation of Methylene blue (MB) is calculated along with the kinetic study, cyclic efficiency, and growth mechanism. The ability of the catalysts generates electron-hole pairs which create free radicals and also help to undergo the secondary reactions. The MoO3 and Ni-doped MoO3 samples normally reveal better results against in antibacterial activity such as Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. Overall, the results demonstrate that the doping of Ni2+ ions inside the MoO3 matrix enhances the performance in antibacterial activity.

The present research article is about the visible light photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) by aqueous heterogeneous medium containing orthorhombic phase of nanocrystalline (NCs) molybdenum oxide (MoO3). The two different oxidation forms of molybdenum oxides formed at annealing temperatures of 90 °C and 400 °C are Mo17O47 and α-MoO3 nanocrystals which are found to exhibit good photocatalytic activity. In the present work, a simple conventional wet chemical method has been used to synthesize molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (NPs) by combining ammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate (AHMT) with capped sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and ethanol solution. The orthorhombic phase is present in the samples annealed at 90 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, and 400 °C, respectively, and it is found that the orthorhombic phase is a highly stable phase in both Mo17O47 and α-MoO3. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized samples is estimated by using MB degradation. The photocatalytic behaviors of the synthesized Mo17O47 and α-MoO3 nanostructures have been studied using the color degradation of MB. It is found that Mo17O47 and α-MoO3 with nanorods like structure has the potential to degrade the MB dye and for a time of 90 min, the degradation efficiency of Mo17O47 and MoO3 are 56.15% and 95.78%, respectively.

In the present study, the wear resistance behavior and the microhardness of the Co38Ni35Al27 and Co35Zn10Ni32Al23 ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) were investigated. The alloy samples were prepared by powder metallurgy method along with the vacuum sintering technique. The major aim is to prepare an alloy with high wear resistance having remarkable microhardness suitable for the sustainable shape memory alloy. The wear test report shows that the wear resistance is high for the sample sintered at 673 K and it gradually reduces when the sintering temperature decreases. The result also shows that the inclusion of zinc in the alloy increases the wear rate. The maximum hardness value of 126 HV was observed in Co38Ni35Al27 sample sintered at 673 K for 8 hrs because of its minimal porosity.

Addition of light scattering layer over the active layer is adopted as a strategy to improve the light harvesting ability and thereby the interaction of light with the anchored dye molecules could be enhanced. Worms-like TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized by microwave assisted solvothermal synthesis by simple chemical modification method using urea. Characteristic anatase TiO2 peaks were confirmed using X-ray diffraction analysis. Optical properties were studied using UV–visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Optical studies of the prepared material revealed characteristic wide bandgap semiconductor properties. FESEM and TEM images confirmed the presence of nanostructures in the prepared samples. The mesoporous nature of the prepared TiO2 nanostructures was confirmed using BET isotherm. Chemical composition and the respective oxidation states of TiO2 were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The prepared TiO2 nanostructures were coated as a light scattering layer over the active layer of the photoanode and its performance was studied.

Co38Ni35Al27 and Co35Zn10Ni32Al23 ferromagnetic shape memory alloys were prepared via facile powder metallurgy and vacuum sintering technique. The influence of sintering temperature on phase transformation behaviour, microstructure and magnetic properties were investigated. The rise in peak intensity of A2-phase shows that the alloy is rich in martensitic-phase in the polycrystalline cubic B2-phase structure and Zn incorporation leads to the reduction in austenite-phase. The needle-shaped cobalt precipitates on predominant martensite A2-phase, shows Widmanstatten-like structure in the samples sintered at 673 K. The saturation magnetization was found to be 87.92 and 96.2 emu/g for Co38Ni35Al27 and Co35Zn10Ni32Al23 alloy. The existence of non-interacting single-domain particles were observed and proved using Stoner-Wohlfarth model.

Ag2S/PVA-PEG polymer nanocomposites have been prepared by solvent casting method. Prepared polymer composites have been characterized by various characterization tools. XRD pattern of pure Ag2S reveals that the material belongs to monoclinic system and in nano phase. XRD pattern of the composite confirms the presence of Ag2S nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Vibrational nature of the bond presented in the prepared material has been analyzed by recording the FTIR. SEM picture confirms that the surface smoothness of the sample. Optical studies were carried out and the band energy was also determined. Z-scan measurement has also been carried out for the prepared sample.

Sol gel dip coating method has been used for preparing ZnO nanorods. ZnO nanorods have been sensitized using CdSe quantum dots by simple chemical method. Uniform coverage of quantum dots on ZnO nanorods is observed. The structural, optical and morphology of the ZnO nanorods, CdSe quantum dots and CdSe quantum dot sensitized ZnO nanorods have been studied. The presence of CdSe quantum dots in ZnO nanorods based film is clearly seen in FESEM and TEM image and the elements Zn, O, Cd and Se present in the film was confirmed by EDAX analysis. FTO/CdSe quantum dot-ZnO nanorods/electrolyte/platinum structure based solar cell has been fabricated and the cell efficiency has been found to be 2.1%.

Kesterite type CZTS (Cu2ZnSnS4) thin films were deposited on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates by simple sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern showed the presence of crystalline kesterite phase, whereas the electron microscopic (FESEM) analysis established the 1D morphology of the CZTS films. Electrical studies revealed the interesting bistability phenomena of CZTS films. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics showed two distinct paths for forward and reverse sweep directions. Conducting AFM (C-AFM) studies also supported the bistability phenomena of the CZTS films. Present study on electrical bi-stability of the CZTS thin films will help to understand the defects in the absorber materials and the photovoltaic performance of the CZTS device.

This study discusses the use of Co3O4 impregnated graphene (CoOIG) as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of methyl violet (MV) dye from wastewater. CoOIG nanocomposites have been prepared by pyrolyzing paraffin wax with cobalt acetate. The synthesised nanocomposite was characterised by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm studies. The above studies indicate that the composites have cobalt oxide nanoparticles of size 51-58 nm embedded in the graphene nanoparticles. The adsorption studies were conducted with various parameters, pH, temperature and initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time by the batch method. The adsorption of MV dye by the adsorbent CoOIG was about 90% initially at 15 min and 98% dye removal at pH 5. The data were fitted in Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich and Sips isotherm models. Various thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the on-going adsorption process have also been calculated.

This paper reports about the influence of annealing temperature on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films prepared by the spin-coating method. The structural analysis reveals the presence of rutile SnO2 with tetragonal structure and its defects are reduced in higher annealing temperatures. SEM images show that the size of the grains was improved due to increase in annealing temperature. From UV-visible analysis, band gap energy (Eg), refractive index (n), and extinction coefficient (k) are estimated. The band gap energy increases from 3.46 to 3.54 eV with annealing temperatures. dc analysis shows that the Arrhenius conduction mechanism has a profound influence on the electrical conductivity and varies in the range 1.08–6.80 × 10− 8(Ω cm)− 1 with annealing temperature. The Al/n-SnO2/p-Si Schottky barrier diode parameters such as ideality factor (n), barrier height (4ΦB), leakage current (I0) and series resistance (Rs) were studied by the I-V method as a function of annealing temperature as per the Thermionic Emission method (TE). The barrier height varies from 0.84 to 0.73 eV and the device ideality has improved at higher annealing temperature.

Co-Ni-Al alloy samples were prepared by compacting the powdered alloy at various pressures in proper stoichiometric ratio and the high density compacted alloy was sintered at 673 K. The magnetic, mechanical properties, microstructure and phase analysis were studied and compared with that of spark plasma sintered (SPS) alloy. The sintered alloy exhibit martensitic twin variants with ? phase structure. Along with the diffused particle, few agglomerated clusters were observed on the topographic images. The magnetic and the mechanical studies of the test specimens were investigated using the vibrating sample magnetometer, pin on disk tribometer and universal testing machine respectively. The coercivity value and the ductility of the SPS alloy are higher than the same of the as-sintered alloy.

Sn doped TiO2 nanorods with 0.1, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% dopant compositions were grown by sol-gel and hydrothermal method. Synthesized Sn doped TiO2 nanorods were post treated with Zr and HNO3 and used as photo anode in DSSC with Ru dye and dye extracted from leaves of Camellia sinensis. The PCE of 1% Sn doped TiO2 photo anode sensitized with Ru dye comparatively showed a better conversion efficiency of 4.96%. 1% Sn doped TiO2 nanorods post treated and acid treated with Zr and HNO3 sensitized with leaves of Camellia sinensis showed better PCE than untreated Sn doped TiO2 photo anode. Increasing the oxygen vacancy by raising the dopant composition with low difference between successive levels improves the photocatalytic performance of the cell. The post treatment of zirconia and HNO3 treatment enhances the photovoltaic parameters toward better performance of the cell. The synergistic effect of introduction of surface defects due to doping, surface modification by post treatment, retarding electron–hole recombination and protonation of the surface with acid treatment enhanced the efficiency of 1% Sn doped TiO2 nanorods and it can be considered as a potential photo anode for DSSC.

In this work, for the growth of ZnO (Zinc Oxide) nanorod thin films, the seed layer is prepared by sol-gel dip coating and spin coating methods. We studied the effect of seed layer on structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorods. FESEM image revealed the difference between the growth of ZnO nanorods on spin and sol-gel dip coated seed layers. It has been observed that ZnO nanorods with uniform size and highly oriented along the c-axis have been grown on spin coated seed layer. HRTEM and Transmission electron microscopy study shows that the ZnO nanorods have an average length of 300 nm and the average diameter is 50 nm, the interplanner spacing is found to be d = 2.63 A. The X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the ZnO nanorods are of hexagonal structure. Absorption spectra showed that the ZnO nanorods exhibit UV absorption with absorption peak at 365 nm and the optical band gap has been found to be 3.23 eV. PL spectra indicated the presence of UV and visible emission lying in the range of 380–550 nm. ZnO nanorods based solar cells have been constructed using CdSe quantum dots.

Co–Ni–Al is considered as a suitable ferromagnetic shape-memory alloy and has significant control over structural transformation temperature, magnetic parameters, and ductility. In this paper, the fabrication of Co–Ni–Al alloy thin films on Si (1 0 0) substrate was achieved via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The developed films annealing was done at 573, 673, and 773 K temperatures and inveterate their crystalline structure, phase analysis, and magnetic nature of the annealed Co38Ni35Al27 films. X-ray diffraction analysis at 773 K annealing temperature reveals that, the Co38Ni35Al27 film shows high crystallinity, and all annealed films have a body-centered cubic phase structure. The crystallite size estimated from Scherrer rule is noticed to increase from 10 to 22 nm when the annealing temperature raised to 773 K. From the SEM images, we infer that there is an increase in grain size when the annealing temperature increases and the grains shape looks spherical. The magnetic study of the samples shows that the film possesses highest magnetic saturation and lowest coercivity at 773 K annealing temperature. Also, the film annealed at 773 K exhibits a wide range of transformation temperatures and has a curie temperature of 180 K.

Herein, the fabrication of novel pure and Zr-doped SnO2 (Zr@SnO2) films via sol-gel spin coating process for Schottky barrier diode (SBD) application has been reported. Phase and size analysis were carried out through X-ray diffraction and Scherrer rule was used to determine crystallite size, which is noticed between 2 and 6 nm. The SEM study reveals that the fabricated films contain very fine sphere-like grains. The optical transmittance of Zr@SnO2 thin films reveals that the grown films possess high transmittance which is good for optoelectronics. The values of energy gap for all Zr@SnO2 films were estimated between 3.90 and 3.96 eV. The dc conductivity analysis showed that SnO2 films possess higher electrical conductivity at 8 wt% of Zr. The barrier heights (ΦB) and ideality factor (n) of the fabricated SBDs were calculated from both J-V and Cheung's method. Better performance was noticed for Zr (8 wt%):SnO2/p-Si SBD.

ZnO nanorods (NRs) have been grown by sol–gel dip-coating method on FTO glass plates. The CdS quantum dots (QDs) were deposited on the as-prepared ZnO NRs by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. The structural characteristics of the ZnO NRs, CdS QD and CdS QD-sensitized ZnO NRs films have been studied using X-ray diffraction method. ZnO NRs exhibit hexagonal structure. CdS QD had a size of 2 nm. The FESEM image showed the presence of CdS quantum dots on the ZnO NRs. From the optical studies, the optical band gap energy of ZnO thin film was found to be 3.26 eV and the band gap energy of CdS quantum dot was observed to be 2.1 eV. The optical absorption edge was found at 370 nm for ZnO NRs and at 460 nm for the CdS QD. The PL spectra of the prepared ZnO NRs and CdS QDs sample exhibit a strong emission peak at 395 and 688 nm. Solar cells have been fabricated using the CdS quantum dot sensitized ZnO nanorods, and the efficiency of the cell was 1.3 %.

Due to the lower cost, natural dye molecules are good alternatives for the ruthenium based sensitizers in the dye-sensitized solar cells. In this article, we have reported the natural sensitizer based dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated using TiO 2 nanorods. Rutile phase TiO 2 nanorods have been synthesized by template free hydrothermal method which results in TiO 2 nanorods in the form of acropora corals. These TiO 2 nanorods have been sensitized by flowers of Sesbania grandiflora , leaves of Camellia sinensis and roots of Rubia tinctorum . The maximum conversion efficiency of 1.53% has been obtained for TiO 2 nanorods based solar cells sensitized with the leaves of Camellia sinensis . The flowers of Sesbania grandiflora and roots of Rubia tinctorum sensitized TiO 2 nanorods based solar cells exhibited an efficiency of 0.65% and 1.28% respectively.

Zeolite NaA and zeolite NaY coating on mild steel has been assessed in the current study. The synthesized zeolite NaA and NaY samples have also been studied using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the samples with different concentrations of zeolite have been tested for its corrosion resistance property for against H2SO4 acid at temperatures up to 60 °C under stagnant as well as stirred conditions by polarization/impedance method. Zeolite NaA and NaY were dispersed in cyanoacrylate-based adhesive in the ratio 1:20 and coated on mild steel for the formation of membrane. XRD analysis revealed the formation of zeolite coating on mild steel substrate. Microstructure analysis using SEM images of the coated samples showed the formation of cubic structure. The coated zeolite layer consisted of top layer with thickness of 2.4–3.6 µm. Results from polarization/impedance revealed that zeolite NaA is more corrosion resistant than zeolite NaY having inhibition efficiency of 89.2 %.

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO) and ferrous doped NiO dilute magnetic nanoparticles have been prepared by wet-chemical method. The structural, composition, morphology, UV absorption and magnetic analysis of the prepared samples are characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, UV Spectra and VSM. XRD confirms the FCC phase formation. The FESEM and HRTEM used to found the structural parameters. The U–V absorption measurement shows the strong absorption at 313.24 nm and 307.9 nm for undoped NiO and Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles. The magnetic properties of these nanoparticles confirming the ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature and has been attributed due to particle size effect.

This study discusses the use of Co(3) O(4) impregnated graphene (CoOIG) as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of methyl violet (MV) dye from wastewater. CoOIG nanocomposites have been prepared by pyrolyzing paraffin wax with cobalt acetate. The synthesised nanocomposite was characterised by X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm studies. The above studies indicate that the composites have cobalt oxide nanoparticles of size 51–58 nm embedded in the graphene nanoparticles. The adsorption studies were conducted with various parameters, pH, temperature and initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time by the batch method. The adsorption of MV dye by the adsorbent CoOIG was about 90% initially at 15 min and 98% dye removal at pH 5. The data were fitted in Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich and Sips isotherm models. Various thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the on‐going adsorption process have also been calculated.

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO), chromium and cobalt doped NiO nanoparticles have been prepared successfully by chemical precipitation method. NiO, Cr and Co-doped NiO nanoparticles have been characterised using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, FESEM, HRTEM, UV absorption and M-H curves. The average grain size of NiO, Cr and Co-doped NiO nanoparticles are 10.33 nm, 9.54 nm and 8.70 nm respectively. The UV absorbance study shows a strong absorption edge at 314.96 nm, 308.64 nm and 305.37 nm respectively. The band gap values of NiO, Cr and Co-doped NiO nanoparticles are 3.936 eV, 4.017 eV and 4.060 eV. The incorporation of chromium and cobalt into NiO nanoparticles have strongly influenced the magnetic behaviour and the material got converted from super paramagnetic to ferromagnetic material.

TiO 2 nanotubes have been prepared by hydrothermal method. The influence of reaction time on the formation of TiO 2 nanotubes has been studied. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the TiO 2 nanocrystallites consist predominantly of anatase phase with small amount of rutile phase. The scanning electron microscope images reveal the formation of TiO 2 nanotubes. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images further confirm the formation of TiO 2 nanotube structure. The nature of the structure formed was found to be dependent on the reaction time. The diameter and length of the nanotubes were measured to be 11.23 nm and 260 nm respectively. Optical absorption studies reveal that the absorption edge shifts towards longer wavelength (red shift) with increase in hydrothermal reaction time. The band gap energy was found to be 3.6 eV and 3.5 eV for TiO 2 nanotubes prepared using 10 h and 16 h reaction time.

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO) and cobalt doped NiO have been prepared successfully by a simple chemical method. NiO and cobalt doped NiO nanoparticles have been characterised using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, FESEM, HRTEM, UV absorption and M-H curves. The average grain size of NiO nanoparticles and cobalt doped NiO nanoparticles are 12 and 9.5 nm respectively. The UV absorbance study shows a strong absorption peak present between 328 and 363 nm. The band gap values of NiO nanoparticles and cobalt doped NiO nanoparticles are 3.58 and 3.78 eV. The incorporation of cobalt into NiO nanoparticles have strongly influenced the magnetic behaviour and the material got converted from super paramagnetic to ferromagnetic material.

TiO2 nanorods based thin films with rutile phase have been synthesized using template free low temperature hydrothermal method. The scanning electron microscope images showed that the prepared TiO2 samples were made of TiO2 nanorods and the nanorods had arranged by itself to form a broccoli like shape. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the prepared TiO2 samples exhibit rutile phase. The grown TiO2 nanorods had been sensitized using the flowers of Sesbania (S) grandiflora, leaves of Camellia (C) sinensis and roots of Rubia (R) tinctorum. Dye sensitized solar cells had been fabricated using the natural dye sensitized TiO2 nanorods based thin film photoelectrode and the open circuit voltage and short circuit current density were found to lie in the range of 0.45–0.6 V and 5.6–6.4 mA/cm2 respectively. The photovoltaic performance of all the fabricated natural dye sensitized TiO2 solar cells indicate that natural dyes have the potential to be used as effective sensitizer in dye sensitized solar cells.

High yield CZTS quantum dots have been synthesized using simple precursors by chemical precipitation technique. Formation mechanism of CZTS spherical quantum dots also has been investigated. According to the mechanism, copper sulfide nuclei firstly forms, and serves as the starting point for the nucleation and growth of CZTS. X-ray diffraction pattern, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and Raman spectra reveals the formation of pure kesterite structure Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 nanoparticles. HRTEM analysis reveals the formation of CZTS quantum dots with an average particle size of ∼8.3 nm. The elemental distribution of CZTS quantum dots studied using STEM elemental mapping reveals that Cu, Zn, Sn and S are present in the sample. The photoluminescence spectra of CZTS exhibit a broad red emission band at 657 nm. The optical band gap is shifted to the higher energy side and it shows the presence of quantum confinement effect.

The CoNiAl alloys are prepared by using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The present study investigates the crystalline structure , Phase analyses, Physical and mechanical properties of the stoichiometric Co38Ni35Al27 alloys. The significant control over the magnetic and structural transformation temperature and high ductility of CoNiAl makes it a potential high-temperature Ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA). The test specimens were prepared at SPS temperature of 1000 °C at a sintering pressure of 50 MPa. The microstructural identification and the phase analyses of the mechanically alloyed powders and the SPS sintered specimens were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The room temperature XRD results revealed that the sintered samples have body centred cubic β phase. A comparison of the room temperature XRD results for alloy powders and that of the sintered alloys has been studied. From the SEM images, we observe that the sintered alloys have martensitic twin variants. Also in the optical microscope, we observe the martensitic variants in the β phase structure. From the thermal studies, we analysed the phase transformation behaviour of the sample from β’ martensite to β martensite at 120°.

Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites have been synthesized in the current study by simple sol–gel technique. The crystal growth has been controlled by varying the hydrogel synthesis time and annealing temperature. The resulting products obtained at various crystallization times and temperatures have been studied using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) method, High resolution transmission electron microscopy images, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs, energy dispersive study and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The TEM images of the final LTA zeolite annealed at 500 °C revealed the formation of cubic structure. XRD analysis revealed that the crystallinity improved with annealing. BET analysis revealed that the synthesized LTA is a well crystallized 4A zeolite. LTA zeolites were dispersed in poly ethylene glycol in the ratio 3:100 and 5:100 and coated on porous alumina beads for the formation of membrane. The SEM images revealed excellent formation of fine structure LTA zeolite membrane with uniform coating. The membrane consisted of a top layer with thickness of 1.14–2.0 µm. Crystals in the top layer showed cubic morphology and amorphous phase was observed at the grain boundaries present between LTA zeolite and alumina substrate.

This study investigates the effect of various concentrations of Tungsten Oxide (WO3) nanoparticles on the performance of dye sensitized solar cells. For that WO3 nanoparticles are synthesized by using solvothermal method and annealed at room temperature, 100 and 400 °C. The crystalline and morphology of the synthesized WO3 nanoparticles was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Solar cell with 1 % WO3 nanoparticles (annealed at 100 °C) added TiO2 electrode exhibits an enhanced short-circuit current density of 12.94 mA cm−2, open-circuit photo voltage of 0.67 V, fill factor of 0.57, and overall power conversion efficiency of 5.03 %.