We give a new and conceptually simple approach to obtain the "first law of black hole thermodynamics" from a basic thermodynamical property that entropy (S) for any stationary black hole is a state function implying that dS must be an exact differential. Using this property we obtain some conditions which are analogous to Maxwell's relations in ordinary thermodynamics. From these conditions we are able to explicitly calculate the semiclassical Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, considering the most general metric represented by the Kerr-Newman spacetime. We extend our method to find the corrected entropy of stationary black holes in (3+1) dimensions. For that we first calculate the corrected Hawing temperature considering both scalar particle and fermion tunneling beyond the semiclassical approximation. Using this corrected Hawking temperature we compute the corrected entropy, based on properties of exact differentials. The connection of the coefficient of the leading (logarithmic) correction with the trace anomaly of the stress tensor is established . We explicitly calculate this coefficient for stationary black holes with various metrics, emphasising the role of Komar

We show the importance of the Voros product in defining a noncommutative Schwarzschild black hole. The corrected entropy/area-law is then computed in the tunneling formalism.Two types of corrections are considered; one, due to the effects of noncommutativity and the other, due to the effects of going beyond the semiclassical approximation. The leading correction to the semiclassical entropy/area-law is logarithmic and its coefficient involves the noncommutative parameter. *

We discuss a scheme based on Ehrenfest like equations to exhibit and classify transitions between two phases (with "smaller" and "larger" masses) of Kerr AdS black holes. We show that for fixed angular velocity this phase transition is of second order as both Ehrenfest's equations are satisfied. Finally we make a close connection of the results found from this analysis with those obtained from the thermodynamic state space geometry approach. *

We investigate further the recent analysis \cite{R.Banerjee2}, based on a Hamilton-Jacobi type approach, to compute the temperature and entropy of black holes beyond the semiclassical approximation. It is shown how non spherically symmetric geometries are inducted in the general formalism by explicitly considering the BTZ black hole. The leading (logarithmic) and non leading corrections to the area law are obtained.Comment: 12 pages, no figures, minor changes, version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Based on fundamental concepts of thermodynamics we examine phase transitions in black holes defined in Anti-de Sitter (AdS) spaces. The method is in line with that used a long ago to understand the liquid-vapour phase transition where the first order derivatives of Gibbs potential are discontinuous and Clausius-Clapeyron equation is satisfied. The idea here is to consider the AdS black holes as grand-canonical ensembles and study phase transition defined by the discontinuity of second order derivatives of Gibbs potential. We analytically check that this phase transition between the 'smaller' and 'larger' mass black holes obey Ehrenfest relations defined at the critical point and hence confirm a second order phase transition. This include both the rotating and charged black holes in Einstein gravity.