Lanthanum-based manganites La$_{0.8−x}$Ca$_x$Sr$_{0.1}$Ag$_{0.1}$MnO$_3$ ($x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3$) doped with both alkaline metal (Ag) and alkaline earth (Ca and Sr) elements are studied. The structural characterization of polycrystalline samples synthesized through low temperature nitrate route confirms orthorhombic structure for all the investigated samples. The morphology of crystal grains shows that the grains are nearly uniform in size and spherical. Electrical resistivity of samples reveal two transition peaks typical of Ag-doped lanthanum-basedmanganites. Significant room temperature magneto resistivity (MR) is observed for all the samples. MR is found to behave almost linearly with temperature for $x = 0.1$ sample for different magnetic field strengths in contrast to plateau type behaviour observed for $x = 0.3$ sample. Standard temperature-dependent resistivity models such as small polaron and variable range hopping are used to fit the resistivity data in the high temperature range. In the low temperature domain, the resistivity data could be fitted to a model which combines electron–electron scattering and weak localization.

Spinel-type MgAl$_2$O$_4$ nanoparticles with high surface area were synthesized by thermal decomposition of three different ion-pair complexes precursors, including [Mg(H$_2$O)$_6$][Al(dipic)$_2$]$_2$·6H$_2$O, [Al(sal)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_2$[Mg(dipic)$_2$] and [Mg(H$_2$O)$_6$][Al(ox)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_2$·5H$_2$O. Influence of the inorganic precursor was investigated on synthesis and textural properties of magnesium aluminate nanopowders. The precursors [Mg(H$_2$O)$_6$][Al(dipic)$_2$]$_2$·6H$_2$O and [Al(sal)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_2$[Mg(dipic)$_2$] displayed pure spinel-type MgAl$_2$O$_4$, while the sample synthesized by [Mg(H$_2$O)$_6$][Al(ox)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_2$·5H$_2$O precursor consisted of MgAl$_2$O$_4$ and MgO. The MgAl$_2$O$_4$ synthesizedvia [Al(sal)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_2$[Mg(dipic)$_2$] precursor exhibited higher BET specific surface area (226.7 m$^2$ g$^{−1}$) and smaller particle size than those of the samples obtained from the two other precursors.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized by the gel combustion technique using a bio-fuel, cassava starch (root tubers of Manihot esculenta), have been characterized by various techniques. The X-ray diffractionpattern reveals hexagonal wurtzite structure. The particle size averaged around 45nm with an excellent band gap of 2.5 eV. The scanning electron and transmission electron microscopic images confirm the ZnO NPs to be agglomerated with loop- and chain-like morphology. The ZnO NPs prepared by this method is a promising candidate for photocatalytic hydrogen generation (41 $\mu$mol h$^{−1}$ g$^{−1}$) under UV light illumination and (140 $\mu$mol h$^{−1}$ g$^{−1}$) under visible light illumination.

Owing to the fact of the AB$_2$O$_4$ spinel oxide’s chemical and thermal stability, and other intriguing properties make them suitable candidate materials for many applications, including chemical looping and catalytic reactions. To do our investigations, a short-range non-Coulomb potential theoretical model is used to calculate the zone-centre, elastic constants, infrared phonon mode frequencies, Raman phonon mode frequencies, velocities of the sound wave along the highly symmetric three crystallographic-axes and Debye temperature of the vanadium spinel oxides AV$_2$O$_4$ (A $=$ Mn, Fe and Zn). The preliminary results of our calculations show that the interaction inthe second neighbour (V–O) is much stronger than the interaction of the first neighbour (A–O). Moreover, from the analysis of the obtained results of elastic constants, the nature of the studied vanadium spinels are found to beductile.