Pal, UmapadaVillanueva Cab, JulioPal, Umapada ; 0000-0002-5665-106XVillanueva Cab, Julio; 0000-0002-6261-9197Arriola Oliva, José Francisco Emmerson2026-03-102026-03-102025-09https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12371/31730"Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a versatile semiconductor with significant potential for applications in photocatalysis, pigments and paints, electronics, and solar cells. This study explores the synthesis and characterization of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and gallium (Ga)- doped TiO2 NPs with varying Ga concentrations (0, 4, 8, and 16 mol%). The synthesis was carried out using microwave irradiation. The primary titanium precursor was titanium (IV) tetraisopropoxide (Ti [OCH(CH3)2]4; TTIP), while the Ga dopant source employed was hydrated gallium nitrate (GaNO3)3∙XH2O. Nitric acid (HNO3) was added to prevent the premature hydrolysis of TTIP. The synthesized powders were washed and dried, and subsequently used to fabricate mesoporous thin films via the doctor-blade technique. The synthesized undoped and Ga-doped TiO2 materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, and Zeta potential, respectively. Analysis by XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of TiO2 anatase. As the Ga content increased, a clear trend was observed in the SEM images, where the average particle size decreased significantly, and the specific surface area increased in the same trend, indicating a direct correlation between these two analyses. Additionally, Zeta potential measurements revealed that Ga doping resulted in a more negative surface charge. Furthermore, current density -voltage (J-V) curves of the fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on the synthesized powders were recorded under standard illumination conditions to assess their photovoltaic performance".pdfspaINGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍAIngeniería (General)--Materiales de ingeniería y construcción--Materiales de composición o estructura especial--Materiales nanoestructuradosNanopartículas metálicas--SíntesisPelículas delgadas--MaterialesPeliculas delgadas--Propiedades opticas--EvaluaciónTesis de maestríaopenAccess