Ca-doped TiO₂ films were synthesized by the modified sol-gel method and employed as the electron transport material of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Morphological, optoelectronic, thermal, and electrical studies of thin films were investigated through XRD, RAMAN, SEM, AFM, UV-Vis, FTIR, and IV characteristics. Ca doping was detected with the help of structural properties while morphological analysis revealed that thin films based on Ca-doped titania are crack-free, homogenous, and uniformly distributed. Further optoelectronic properties have shown a promising conversion efficiency of 9.79% for 2% Ca-doped titania followed by 1% Ca-doped titania, while 3% have shown the lowest conversion efficiency among these prepared samples. The 2% an optimized doping of Ca has shown an almost two-fold increase in conversion efficiency in comparison to pristine TiO₂, along with an increase in current density from 15 mA⋅cm⁻² to 19.3 mA⋅cm⁻². Improved energy efficiency and higher current density are attributed to faster electron transportation; moreover, the optimized percentage of Ca doping seems to be an effective approach to improve the PSCs’ performance.

Syngas is a valuable entity for downstream liquid fuel production and chemical industries. The efficient production of syngas via catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) is an important process. In this study, partial oxidation of methane (POM) was carried out using CaO decorated TiO₂ catalysts. The catalysts were synthesized employing the sol-gel method, while the decoration of TiO₂ with CaO was achieved in an aqueous solution by wetness impregnation method. The prepared catalysts were characterized by employing XRD, Raman, TG-DTG, and SEM-EDX for structural and morphological analysis. On testing for POM, at 750 °C the catalysts demonstrate excellent CH₄ conversion of 83.6 and 79.5% for 2% and 3% CaO loaded TiO₂, respectively. While the average H₂/CO ratio for both 2% and 3% CaO loaded TiO₂, 2.25 and 2.28, respectively, remained slightly above the theoretical value (H₂/CO = 2.0) of POM. The improved POM performance is attributed to the optimally loaded CaO on the TiO₂ surface that promotes the reaction where TiO₂ support ensure less agglomerated particles, resulting into a fine distribution of the active catalytic sites.