Mixed crystals of potassium-ammonium zinc chloride in different concentrations were grown from aqueous
solution employing the techniques of slow cooling and controlled evaporation. Powder x-ray diffraction
studies were carried out on the grown crystals. The comparison between lattice parameters a, b and c are
experimentally determined and calculated by Vegad's law. The concentration of K+ ions in the crystals was
measured by the atomic absorption technique. The crystal morphology changed considerably by increasing
K+ concentration. The optical absorption coefficient (α) indicated strong influence changing concentration.
The optical energy gap was found to decrease with increasing K+ concentration.

Mixed crystals of potassium-ammonium zinc chloride in different concentrations were grown from aqueous
solution employing the techniques of slow cooling and controlled evaporation. Powder x-ray diffraction
studies were carried out on the grown crystals. The comparison between lattice parameters a, b and c are
experimentally determined and calculated by Vegad's law. The concentration of K+ ions in the crystals was
measured by the atomic absorption technique. The crystal morphology changed considerably by increasing
K+ concentration. The optical absorption coefficient (α) indicated strong influence changing concentration.
The optical energy gap was found to decrease with increasing K+ concentration.

Deep investigations were performed for further understanding of the nanostructure of sputtered WO3 ˆlms. The as-deposited
ˆlms consisted of ˆne crystallites of several nm. As the pressure increased, the ˆlm density decreased and the surface area increased
owing to open pores between grains. When ˆlms were annealed at 400°C or above, they were well crystallized to form
monoclinic and randomly-shaped grains. Upon this crystallization, the ˆlm shrank and its density increased slightly, while the
relative surface area substantially decreased.

Tungsten oxide nanowires were prepared by a vapor transport method using WO3 powder as a raw
material. The crystal structure and morphology of WO3 nanowires were investigated by X-ray diffraction,
scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The obtained nanowires were
hexagonal WO3. The major factors that influenced the morphology were the furnace temperature and
the substrate position. The diameter of the nanowires decreased as the distance of the substrate from the
raw material increased. Sensors were fabricated by pouring a few drops of nanowire-suspended ethanol
onto oxidized Silicon substrates equipped with a pair of interdigitated Pt electrodes. The sensor made of
the nanowires as thin as 50 nm showed the highest response to NO2 at a low operating temperature of
100 ◦C. The temperature dependence of the response was discussed in relation to the formation of NO2
−
and NO3
− ions on the surface of WO3. The response slightly increased with decreasing diameter if the
nanowires are regional depleted in NO2, while it largely increased if the nanowires are in volume depletion.
A theoretical calculations based on assumptions were proposed in order to clarify the correlation
between the nanowire response and their diameter.

Tin dioxide nanowires were formed by using thermal evaporation and functionalized by Pd nanodots
for investigating the effect of nano-additives on NO2 sensing properties. SnO2 nanowires are uniformly
functionalized with Pd nanodots by plain micro-drop process of PdCl2. The NO2 sensing characteristics
of the Pd-functionalized SnO2 nanowires are compared with those of bare SnO2 nanowires. The
results indicate that the concentration of catalytic Pd nanodots plays an important role in the enhancement
of NO2 sensing properties. The low concentration of Pd nanodots greatly enhances the sensor
response and response time in SnO2 nanowire-based gas sensors. However, extensive addition of Pd into
the sensing layer resulted in the degradation of sensing characteristics. Moreover, the SnO2 nanowires
functionalized with excessively high concentration of Pd nanodots shows an anomalous behavior in its
output.

Since isolates recovered on medium containing-Ficus elastica latex showed good growth on the respective natural rubber than those recovered on Euphorbia pulcherrima or Ficus nitida, 16 of these isolates were selected for further growth experiments on natural rubber to determine their protein content as well as rubber viscosity. Of these, the mesophilic strains Aspergillus terreus AUMC 4682, Aspergillus flavus AUMC 4795 and the thermophilic strain Myceliophthora thermophila AUMC 4653 showed low rubber viscosity and high mycelia protein content indicating high biodegradation ability of rubber. The strains were subjected for further analysis. They showed high ability to degrade poly (cis-1, 4-isoprene) rubber fig. The ability was also determined by measuring the increase in protein content of each fungus (mg g−1 dry wt), reduction in molecular weight (g mol−1) and inherent viscosity (dl g−1). Moreover the degradation was characterized by determining aldehyde or keto group by Schiff reagent and observing the growth using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Since isolates recovered on medium containing-Ficus elastica latex showed good growth on the respective natural rubber than those recovered on Euphorbia pulcherrima or Ficus nitida, 16 of these isolates were selected for further growth experiments on natural rubber to determine their protein content as well as rubber viscosity. Of these, the mesophilic strains Aspergillus terreus AUMC 4682, Aspergillus flavus AUMC 4795 and the thermophilic strain Myceliophthora thermophila AUMC 4653 showed low rubber viscosity and high mycelia protein content indicating high biodegradation ability of rubber. The strains were subjected for further analysis. They showed high ability to degrade poly (cis-1, 4-isoprene) rubber fig. The ability was also determined by measuring the increase in protein content of each fungus (mg g−1 dry wt), reduction in molecular weight (g mol−1) and inherent viscosity (dl g−1). Moreover the degradation was characterized by determining aldehyde or keto group by Schiff reagent and observing the growth using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).