ABSTRACT
Materials play a key role in the modern world. Development of novel materials and their utilization in different products is increasing day by day due to continuous quest for sturdier and lighter materials with multifunctional ability. There are many challenges associated with development of materials including the management of materials after the useful life of products and related occupational hazards. Materials may exist in solid, liquid, and gaseous forms and enter the environment via various routes. To ensure the safety of environment and human beings, sustainable green materials have also been developed and utilized for different applications. Synthesis or modifications of materials have been done by conventional or green methods. Optimization studies have also been applied to choose appropriate conditions required for synthesis in order to minimize the use of chemicals. These techniques also help in deciding the preferable synthesis route. Optimization of concentration of chemicals involved in synthesis using response surface methodology (RSM) is gaining the interest of researchers due to many advantages. Characterization of these synthesized or modified materials is a prime requirement for further application. Characterization of materials mainly depends on the nature of the materials. Fourier transform infrared, XRD, SEM, EDX, BET analysis, UV-visible spectroscopy, NMR, Mass spectroscopy, Atomic adsorption spectroscopy, Inductive coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, HPLC, and many more techniques have been widely used for characterization of materials. In this chapter, different techniques for characterization of materials and available optimization tools have been discussed in detail.
