This paper is dedicated to study the thin polycrystalline films of semiconductor chalcogenide materials (CdS, CdSe, and PbS) obtained by ammonia-free chemical bath deposition. The obtained material is of polycrystalline nature with crystallite of a size that, from a general point of view, should not result in any noticeable quantum confinement. Nevertheless, we were able to observe blueshift of the fundamental absorption edge and reduced refractive index in comparison with the corresponding bulk materials. Both effects are attributed to the material porosity which is a typical feature of chemical bath deposition technique. The blueshift is caused by quantum confinement in pores, whereas the refractive index variation is the evident result of the density reduction. Quantum mechanical description of the nanopores in semiconductor is given based on the application of even mirror boundary conditions for the solution of the Schrödinger equation; the results of calculations give a reasonable explanation of the experimental data.

Experimental and theoretical analysis is made of the conditions of collection of solar radiation in solar tracking system without concentration, and in non-tracking system with standard and bifacial photovoltaic solar panel. For the experiments with solar tracking, an original Sun tracker was developed. The tracking effect calculated and measured shows an increase in energy collection around 30 - 40 %; bifacial panels with a reflector collecting solar radiation for the rear face give the corresponding increase of 50 - 60 % for the same panel area.

Water repellency has significant potential in applications like self-cleaning coatings, anti-staining textiles, and electronics. This study introduces a novel nanocomposite system incorporating functionalized Al₂O₃ and CeO₂ nanoparticles within a polyurethane matrix to achieve hydrophobic and UV-blocking properties. The nanoparticles were functionalized using an octadecyl phosphonic acid solution and characterized by FTIR and XPS, confirming non-covalent functionalization. Spin-coated polyurethane coatings with functionalized and non-functionalized Al₂O₃, CeO_2, and binary Al₂O₃-CeO₂ nanoparticles were analyzed. The three-layered Al₂O₃-CeO₂-ODPA binary system achieved a contact angle of 166.4° and 85% transmittance in the visible range. Incorporating this binary functionalized system into a 0.4% w/v polyurethane solution resulted in a nanocomposite with 75% visible transmittance, 60% at 365 nm UV, and a 147.7° contact angle after three layers. These findings suggest that ODPA-functionalized nanoparticles, when combined with a polymer matrix, offer a promising approach to developing advanced hydrophobic and UV-protective coatings with potential applications across various industrial sectors.