In this study, nanocrystalline TiO₂: Eu³⁺ thin films are successfully formed by spray pyrolysis technique deposited on glass substrate. Structure, optical, electrical, surface morphology, and photocatalytic degradation of Methylene blue have been examined. The XRD analysis illustrate the tetragonal crystal structure of films with anatase phase and reduces crystallite size linearly with increasing Eu³⁺ concentration. The optical properties of the films are analyzed using transmittance and reflectance spectra, which are measured using UV–vis-NIR double-beam spectrophotometer. Optical properties such as refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), optical conductivity (σ) and Urbach energy (E_u) have been calculated as a function of Eu³⁺ concentration. Film thickness were evaluated using the refractive index dependence on wavelength. The films thickness were determined as 97.13, 122.62, 123.24, 117.14 and 128.25 nm, respectively, for Eu doped TiO₂ at 0,4, 6, 8 and 10 wt % doping concentration. The band gap values raised from 3.29 to 3.42 eV with increasing the Eu³⁺ dopant concentration. The highest electrical conductivity was found to be 3.01 × 10⁻²(Ω·cm)⁻¹ at high doping level with 10 wt% Eu³⁺. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated consistent allocation of irregular and spherical shaped grains covering the substrate surface. The average grain size in range of 82.5—51.1 nm is observed and films show porous nature. The photocatalytic effect of TiO₂: Eu³⁺ thin films is predicted from the degradation of methylene blue (MB) at room temperature under UV light irradiation. An enhancement in photocatalytic degradation observed by increasing the amount of Eu³⁺ due to increase in the (electron-hole) pair production and increase of film thickness. These results make TiO₂: Eu³⁺ thin films as attractive candidate for photovoltaic cells and other optoelectronic device applications.

Nano Er-doped TiO₂ thin films prepared by sol-gel technique at different doping concentrations (5%, 7%, 9%, and 11%). The prepared thin films were studied through ultrasonic and ellipsometric measurements. Mechanical properties are known from the ultrasonic method that investigated the effect of the Er-doped amount on the cross-link density, bond strength, elastic properties, and stress-strain relation between atoms of TiO₂ thin films. Ellipsometric measurements studied the variation of optical transmittance, energy band gap, refractive index, Urbach energy roughness, and porosity with changing Er-doped amount. Finally, contact angle measurements are done to ensure the self-cleaning property of the prepared thin films. Results deduced that Er-doped enhanced greatly TiO₂ thin films, to be used in many industrial applications as self-cleaning glass fabrication.

This research is being conducted to learn more about various compounds and their potential uses in various fields such as renewable energy, electrical conductivity, the study of optoelectronic properties, the use of light-absorbing materials in photovoltaic device thin-film LEDs, and field effect transistors (FETs). AgZF3 (Z = Sb, Bi) compounds, which are simple, cubic, ternary fluoro-perovskites, are studied using the FP-LAPW and low orbital algorithm, both of which are based on DFT. Structure, elasticity and electrical and optical properties are only some of the many features that can be predicted. The TB-mBJ method is used to analyze several property types. An important finding of this study is an increase in the bulk modulus value after switching Sb to Bi as the metallic cation designated as “Z” demonstrates the stiffness characteristic of a material. The anisotropy and mechanical balance of the underexplored compounds are also revealed. Our compounds are ductile, as evidenced by the calculated Poisson ratio, Cauchy pressure, and Pugh ratio values. Both compounds exhibit indirect band gaps (X-M), with the lowest points of the conduction bands located at the evenness point X and the highest points of the valence bands located at the symmetry point M. The principal peaks in the optical spectrum can be understood in light of the observed electronic structure.

Material degradation has received a lot of attention from the scientific community as a serious problem. However, a major barrier to the application of effective corrosion treatment is the ban on the use of inhibitors containing dangerous substances. In addition to being efficient corrosion inhibitors, Schiff bases offer pharmacological, anti-inflam­matory, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and antioxidant qualities. In this experiment, two types of aminopyridine Schiff bases were used to investigate the corrosion resistance of carbon steel (C-steel) in an environment containing 1 mol L-1 HCl. The study used weight loss and electrochemical assays to assess the corrosion-inhibiting effectiveness of two Schiff base derivatives (HAPT and HHTA). It was found that the inhibitory efficiency rises with increasing HAPT and HHTA dosages and falls with increasing temperature. HAPT and HHTA showed impressive corrosion inhibition rates of 93.4 and 95.2 %, respectively. The enhanced inhibitory efficiency results from the significant adsorption of HAPT and HHTA molecules on the C-steel surface through chemisorption and physisorption in compliance with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The production of an inhibitory film on the C-steel substrate was confirmed by the results of the scanning electron microscope. Density functional theory and molecular dynamics computations in quantum chemistry were used to identify the adsorption of HAPT and HHTA at the steel/solution interface.

The application of a higher corrosion resistance coating modified with nano additions can effectively decrease or prevent corrosion from occurring. In the present work, a novel method is successfully developed for the modification of carbon steel surfaces aiming for high corrosion resistance using Sn—4% Zn alloy/nanoparticle composite (NiO+ Al₂O₃) coating. Sn—4% Zn alloy/nanoparticle composite (NiO+ Al₂O₃) coatings were deposed on carbon steel using a direct tinning process that involved a power mixture of Sn—4% Zn alloy along with a flux mixture. Regular coating and interface structures were achieved by individual Al₂O₃ and both NiO and Al₂O₃ nanoparticle combined additions in the Sn-Zn coating. The maximum coating thickness of 70 ± 1.8 µm was achieved for Al₂O₃ nanoparticles in the Sn-Zn coating. Interfacial intermetallic layer thickness decreased with all used nanoparticle additions in individual and hybrid conditions. The minimum intermetallic layer thickness of about 2.29 ± 0.28 µm was achieved for Al₂O₃ nanoparticles in the Sn—Zn coating. Polarization and impedance measurements were used to investigate the influence of the incorporated Al₂O₃, NiO, and hybrid Al₂O₃/NiO nanoparticles on the passivation of the low-carbon steel (LCS) corrosion and the coated Sn—Zn LCS in sodium chloride solution. It was found that the presence of Al₂O₃, NiO, and Al₂O₃/NiO nanoparticles remarkably improved the corrosion resistance. The corrosion measurements confirmed that the corrosion resistance of the coated Sn-Zn carbon steel was increased in the presence of these nanoparticles in the following order: Al₂O₃/NiO > NiO > Al₂O₃.