This study investigated the different thicknesses of TiO₂ photoanode films and the effect of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag-TiO₂ nanocomposites on the current-voltage (I–V) performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The TiO₂ layer was deposited using the doctor blade technique and the thickness of the TiO₂ films was controlled by using a different number of Scotch tape layers. The silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were synthesised using a chemical reduction method and the concentration of sodium citrate as a reducing agent was varied from 4 to 12 mM to study the effect of citrate ion on the size of the nanoparticles. Ag-TiO₂ nanopowder was prepared by adding pure anatase TiO₂ powder into AgNP colloidal solution. The mixture was left to dry for 24 h to obtain Ag-TiO₂ powder for paste preparation. The three-layer Scotch tape, with thickness of 14.38 µm, achieved a high efficiency of 4.14%. This results showed that three layers was the optimal thickness to improve dye loading and to reduce the charge recombination rate. As for the Ag-TiO₂ nanocomposites, 10 mM of AgNP, with a mean diameter of 65.23 nm and high efficiency of 6.92%, proved that SPR can enhance the absorption capability of dye and improve the photon-to-electron generation.

Renewable energy (RE) is a type of advanced technology that changes natural energy into a form that can be used as an alternative to traditional energy solutions to help reduce problems caused by global warming. Nevertheless, consumers still have limited knowledge of renewable energy, which leads to an unwillingness to pay more. Renewable energy marketing as a sustainable willingness to pay more for renewable energy billpayers in Peninsular Malaysia. This research applied the theory of reasoned action as the theoretical underpinning theory. A questionnaire survey was distributed to taxpayers, and 3209 usable responses out of 5000 persons were obtained. This paper suggested that consumers’ concerns and knowledge of renewable energy were positively related to paying a premium for renewable energy. This research showed that the energy consumption patterns influenced consumers’ willingness to pay more for renewable energy. This will benefit policymakers, in line with the Twelfth Malaysian Plan, in pursuing green technology growth and recommending the policy measure to achieve the country’s 31% and 40% renewable energy targets in 2025 and 2035, respectively.

Research on hybrid graphene with other two-dimensional materials has gained considerable attention owing to their potential applications beyond single components. Through our first principles analysis via density functional theory, graphene-molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) demonstrated a band gap opening by 2 meV, from gapless graphene when MoS₂ layer is introduced into the structure. The simulated graphene-MoS₂ has a direct band gap situated at K point of Brillouin zone with preserved Dirac properties of graphene. The experimental studies on graphene-MoS₂ also have been performed by preparing graphene-MoS₂-chitin nanocomposite through facile liquid-phase exfoliation method. Apart from energy gap using Tauc relation, the physical morphology and nonlinear properties of the material were systematically characterized. Graphene-MoS₂-chitin exhibits a modulation depth of 10.5%, which is lower than individual graphene but higher than individual MoS₂. Further investigation on the material’s performance was done by integrating the fabricated film into Erbium-doped fiber laser. Stable nanosecond pulse laser operation was realized with graphene-MoS₂-chitin hybrid saturable absorber. The pulse width was measured to be 156.4 ns with repetition rate of 1.89 MHz, corresponding to a peak power of 56.13 mW and pulse energy of 8.78 nJ.

Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl ₄ ) pretreatment on the fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) is one of the alternative techniques to enhance short‐circuit current density ( J _sc ) and efficiency of dye‐sensitised solar cells (DSSC) by improving the inter‐particle bonding between FTO grain and nanoporous titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ). The present study investigbrkates the effect of TiCl ₄ pretreatment on the surface of FTO glass to enhance the J _sc and efficiency of silver‐titanium dioxide (Ag‐TiO ₂ ) nanocomposites. The pretreatment process was prepared by immersing FTO glass into TiCl ₄ solution at 70°C for 30 min, and then sintered at 500°C for 30 min. Morphological and elemental characteristics were done to observe the structure and composition of pretreatment on the FTO glass. The results showed that the Ag‐TiO ₂ with TiCl ₄ pretreatment achieved high efficiency of 7.27% with J _sc of 18.95 mA/cm ² . The proposed method shows that the pretreatment can improve the efficiency by improving the inter‐particle bonding between nanoporous TiO ₂ and FTO grain, which can enhance the electron transfer. Also, the presence of Ag in the nanocomposites as a solar concentrator can increase the light absorption by TiO ₂ nanoparticles and also increase the DSSC efficiency.