TiO2 nanoparticleshave been synthesized by the sol-gel method using titanium alkoxide and isopropanolas a precursor. The structural properties and chemical composition of the TiO2 nanoparticles were studied usingX-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The X-ray powder diffraction pattern confirms that the particles are mainly composed of the anatase phase with the preferential orientation along [101] direction.The physical parameters such as strain, stress and energy density were investigated from the Williamson- Hall (W-H) plot assuming a uniform deformation model (UDM), and uniform deformation energy density model (UDEDM). The W-H analysis shows an anisotropic nature of the strain in nanopowders. The scanning electron microscopy image shows clear TiO2 nanoparticles with particle sizes varying from 60 to 80nm. The results of mean particle size of TiO2 nanoparticles show an inter correlation with the W-H analysis and SEM results. Our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra show that nearly a complete amount of titanium has reacted to TiO2.

In the present study, the pure and La-Zr co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel technique using zinc acetate dehydrate (Zn(Ac)2·2H2O), lanthanum nitrate hexahydrate (La(NO3)3 ·6H2O) and zirconium chloride (ZrCl4) as precursor. The structure and morphology of the prepared nanoparticle samples were studied using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. X-ray diffraction results indicated that all the samples have crystalline wurtzite phase. TEM showed that powder was polycrystalline in nature with random distribution of the pure and La-Zr doped ZnO nanoparticles. We demonstrate strain-size evaluations for pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles from the x-ray line profile analysis. The microstructural effects of crystalline materials in terms of crystallite sizes and lattice strain on the peak broadening were investigated using Williamson-Hall (W-H) analysis and size- strain plot (SSP) method. The average crystallite size of Zn (1-x)LaxZrxO nanoparticles estimated from the W–H analysis and SSP method varied as the doping concentration increased. The incorporation of Zr4+ ion in the place of Zn2+ caused an increase in the size of nanocrystals as compared to undoped ZnO. The average particle sizes of co-doped ZnO nanoparticles estimated from the USDM model is in good agreement with the TEM results.