A facile and simple process has been detailed for the synthesis of titanium glycerolate nanofibers using glycerol as both a solvent and a chelating agent. This complex has then been successfully converted to a high surface area anatase phase of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) through solid state transformation without alteration in the overall fiber morphology. The structure, crystallinity and morphology of the products before and after transformation have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state 13 C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. As a demonstration of a potential application, these anatase nanorods (NRs) have been used as a photoanode to fabricate a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using a gel polymer electrolyte. Devices with efficiencies of 2.8% and 4.4% were recorded under light intensity of 100 mW/cm 2 and 10 mW/cm 2 illumination respectively.

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A simple, convenient and versatile synthetic approach has been demonstrated for large-scale synthesis of zinc glycerolate microcrystals having preferential growth along the (100) axis. Glycerol has been used both as a ligand and as a solvent. This glycerolate precursor has subsequently been converted into the hexagonal phase of zinc oxide (ZnO) with wurtzite structure by calcining in air. A number of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, solid-state 13 C NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements have been used to investigate the morphology, crystallinity, and structure of the products obtained before and after calcination. Furthermore, the room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) of the ZnO nanocrystals has also been investigated along with rhodamine B degradation. The latter has been used as a probe reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the ZnO nanoparticles for as many as three recycles.

A simple and versatile solvent-growth process using ethylene glycol has been demonstrated for the synthesis of novel faceted bipyramidal zinc glycolate. Upon thermal treatment in air, this structure can be converted into a ZnO hexagonal phase with wurtzite structure via solid-state transformation. The morphology, microstructure, and crystallinity of the products before and after thermal treatment have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and solid-state (13)C NMR measurements. In addition, the room-temperature photoluminescence of the resulting ZnO has also been investigated.