Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy has been used to understand the modification of work function of TiO2 with swift heavy ion irradiation. The observed increase in contact potential difference (CPD) indicates a shift in Fermi level towards the valence band, which is due to the development of defects during the bombardment of high energy heavy ions. The change in CPD values on ion irradiation is attributed to electronic excitation induced defect concentration and surface roughness.

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In this paper, we establish the existence of both compressive stress and charge transfer Lattice strain estimated from XRD peaks are correlated to the observed Raman shift.

The present work focuses on photocatalytic performance of Ag-TiO2 systems. Nanocrystalline thin films of TiO2-and Ag-doped TiO2 are grown by sol–gel method, followed by spin-coating technique on Si ⟨100⟩ surface. The crystallinity and crystal size were measured from X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. Lateral distribution of work function (WF) was examined through contact potential difference measurement done by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. Local WFs of Ag-TiO2 thin films were found to be smaller than that of TiO2, and the minimum WF expected from the polynomial curve fitting was that of pure Ag. The photocatalytic efficiency of these thin films is estimated from photodegradation of methyl orange analyzed by UV–vis spectrophotometer. The photodegradation efficiency of Ag-TiO2 nanocrystalline thin films increases up to a certain dopant concentration of silver, beyond which it decreases. The changes in the photodegradation efficiency of these films are correlated with variation in contact potential difference.

Correlation between the work function and oxygen content at various stages during synthesis of graphene by chemical route is presented. The values of work function in terms of contact surface potential difference (CPD) were estimated using a scanning Kelvin probe method. Oxygen content was determined using energy dispersive X-ray absorption (EDAX), and the data was further supported using the Rutherford back scattering method in oxygen resonance mode. Results indicated a linear correlation between the oxygen content and measured values of CPD at various stages during the chemical synthesis of graphene.