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High demand and current applications have led to continuous study and subsequent improvement of TiO 2 nanoparticles. The versatility of the sol-gel method allows employing different process parameters to influence the resultant properties of TiO 2 nanoparticles. The evaluation and characterisation process of the synthesised TiO 2 nanoparticles commonly involves a series of methods and techniques. Such characterisation methods include phase, structural, morphology and size analysis. A combination of data from these evaluations provides the relationship between the synthesis parameters and the end properties of TiO 2 nanoparticles. Apart from the research findings on TiO 2 nanoparticles, the characterisation used to obtain these findings is equally important. Thus, this chapter highlights the recent characterisation techniques and practices employed for TiO 2 nanoparticles synthesised by the sol-gel method.

A simple rectangular microstrip sensor for determination of moisture content in Hevea Rubber Latex is presented in this paper. The microstrip patch sensor was designed to operate at microwave frequency range from 1 to 5 GHz on a RT/Duroid substrate with 6.15 ±0.015 permittivity and 1.27 mm thickness. The width and length of the rectangular patch antenna was 18 mm and 38 mm, respectively. The reflection coefficient of the sensor loaded with Hevea latex at various percentages of moisture content from approximately 36.1% to 88.6 %. Calibration equations have been established between moisture content and phase of reflection coefficient at several selected frequencies. These equations were used to predict the amount of moisture content on Hevea latex based on the measured reflection coefficient values. The actual values of moisture content were obtained using standard oven drying method. The lowest mean relative error between actual and predicted moisture contents was 0.04 at 1 GHz.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and examine three of the most common corrosion characterization techniques specifically on Sn-Zn solders. The discussion will highlight the configurations and recent developments on each of the compiled characterization techniques of potentiodynamic polarization, potentiostatic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Design/methodology/approach The approach will incorporate a literature review of previous works related to the experimental setups and common parameters. Findings The potentiostatic polarization, potentiodynamic polarization and EIS were found to provide crucial and vital information on the corrosion properties of Sn-Zn solders. Accordingly, this solder relies heavily on the amount of Zn available because of the inability to produce the intermetallic compound in between the elements. Further, the excellent mechanical properties and low melting temperature of the Sn-Zn solder is undeniable, however, the limitations regarding corrosion resistance present opportunities in furthering research in this field to identify improvements. This is to ensure that the corrosion performance can be aligned with the outstanding mechanical properties. The review also identified and summarized the advantages, recent trends and important findings in this field. Originality/value The unique challenges and future research directions regarding corrosion measurement in Sn-Zn solders were shown to highlight the rarely discussed risks and problems in the reliability of lead-free soldering. Many prior reviews have been undertaken of the Sn-Zn system, but limited studies have investigated the corrosive properties. Therefore, this review focuses on the corrosive characterizations of the Sn-Zn alloy system.