In this paper, the production of CaCO₃ particles via the carbonation route in the reaction of CaCl₂ and CO₂, using NH₃ as a promoter of CO₂ absorption, was studied. The solvents used as the reaction media for CaCO₃ precipitation were aqueous solutions of methanol, isopropanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in a concentration range of 0–20% (v/v). It was found that the presence of an organic additive influenced the precipitation rate, the content of vaterite in the obtained product, the morphology and the size of the precipitated CaCO₃ particles, as well as the rate of its transformation into calcite. The presence of all added organic solvents reduced the vaterite concentration in the produced CaCO₃ both at the end of the reaction and after incubation in the reaction medium for 1 h. However, the transformation of vaterite particles into calcite in the tested solutions was slower when the 4 h and 24 h procedures were compared. The interactions of solvents with calcite and vaterite were compared using HPLC tests. DMSO molecules interacted with vaterite particles the most strongly, while the interaction of isopropanol with this polymorph was the weakest. The opposite effect was observed for interactions with calcite particles, and the affinity decreased in the series: isopropanol, methanol, DMSO.

Ag-based plasmonic nanostructures were manufactured by thermal annealing of thin metallic films. Structure and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM images show that the formation of nanostructures is influenced by the initial layer thickness as well as the temperature and the time of annealing. The Ag 3d and Ag 4d XPS spectra are characteristic of nanostructures. The quality of the nanostructures, in terms of their use as plasmonic platforms, is reflected in the UV–vis absorption spectra. The absorption spectrum is dominated by a maximum in the range of 450–500 nm associated with the plasmon resonance. As the initial layer thickness increases, an additional peak appears around 350 nm, which probably corresponds to the quadrupole resonance. For calculations leading to a better illustration of absorption, scattering and overall absorption of light in Ag nanoparticles, the Mie theory is employed. Absorbance and the distribution of the electromagnetic field around the nanostructures are calculated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. For calculations a novel approach based on modelling the whole sample with a realistic shape of the nanoparticles, instead of full spheres, was used. This led to a very good agreement with the experiment.

This work presents the result of structure investigations of V₂O₅ nanorods grown from thin films and powders prepared by sol‐gel method. To examine the best temperature of nanorods crystallization, thin films deposited by spin‐coating method on quartz glass or silicon substrates and bulk xerogel powders were annealed at various temperatures ranging from 100°C to 600°C. The structure of the samples was characterized by X‐ray diffraction method (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mass spectroscopy (MS). The rod‐like structure of V₂O₅ was obtained at 600°C on both quartz glass and silicon substrates and also from the bulk xerogel. The growth process and the effect of annealing treatment on the nanostructure are briefly discussed.