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Rutile-structured nanocrystalline tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) powder was synthesized by the chemical precipitation method using the precursor SnCl 2 • 5H 2 O. The SnO 2 powder was annealed at different temperatures, namely, 600, 800 and 1000 • C. Micro-Raman spectra were recorded for both the as-grown and annealed SnO 2 nanocrystalline samples. Micro-Raman spectral measurements on the SnO 2 nanoparticle show the first-order Raman modes A 1g (633 cm −1 ), E 1g (475 cm −1 ) and B 2g (775 cm −1 ), indicating that the grown SnO 2 belongs to the rutile structure. The first-order A 1g mode is observed as an intense band, whereas the other two modes show low intensity. The full width at half-maximum and band area of the Raman lines of SnO 2 nanoparticle annealed at various temperatures were calculated. The effect of high-temperature annealing on the vibrational modes of SnO 2 was studied. The optical image of SnO 2 nanocrystalline material was used to understand the surface morphology effect.

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanostructures (nanorods and nanoparticles) were prepared using a low-cost microwave irradiation method from a polyol medium of glycerol. Titanium glycerolate and TiO 2 powders were obtained in the glycerol medium for the first time with four different power densities (240W, 480W, 720W, 960W) of irradiation using a domestic microwave oven of 2.45 GHz, to understand the impact of power on morphology tuning. The structural and morphological features of the titanium glycerolate and TiO 2 powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Raman spectra analysis. The TiO 2 was successfully used in the fabrication of photovoltaic devices and as a proof-of-concept binder free paste was prepared and successfully employed for photo-anode using screen printing on the fluorinedoped tin oxide substrate.

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