Shape memory effect is a peculiar property exhibited in certain alloy systems called shape memory alloys. This phenomenon is initiated by cooling and deformation treatments and performed thermally on heating and cooling after these treatments, and shape of materials recover the original and deformed shapes. These alloys are deformed plastically in the low temperature condition, with which strain energy is stored. The stored energy is released upon heating by means of reverse austenitic transformation by recovering the permanent original shape on heating, and cycles between original and deformed shapes on heating and cooling. Shape memory effect is governed by thermoresponsive structural transformations, advanced thermal induced martensitic and reverse austenitic transformations. Thermal induced transformations occur as martensite variants along with lattice twinning in atomic scale on cooling and ordered parent phase structures turn into twinned martensitic structure. Twinned structures turn into detwinned martensite by means of stress induced transformation by stressing material. Thermal induced martensitic transformation is lattice-distorting phase transformation and occurs   with the cooperative movement of atoms in <110 > -type directions on {110}-type planes of austenite matrix by means of shear-like mechanism. These alloys exhibit another property called superelasticity, which is performed mechanically by stressing and releasing at the parent phase region. Superelasticity exhibit classical elastic material behavior, materials recover original shape after releasing the applied stress.

Superelasticity is performed in non-linear way; stressing and releasing paths are different in the stress-strain diagram, and hysteresis loop refers to energy dissipation.

Superelasticity is also result of the stress induced martensitic transformation, and the ordered parent phase structures turn into the detwinned structure by means of stress induced martensitic transformation by deformation. Stressing and releasing paths are different at Stress-Strain diagram, and hysteresis loop referrers to the energy dissipation.

Copper based alloys exhibit this property in metastable beta-phase region. Lattice invariant shear and lattice twinning is not uniform in copper-based alloys and cause the formation of complex layered structures, like 6R, 9R and18R depending on the stacking sequences on the close-packed planes of the parent phase structure.

In the present contribution, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies were carried out on two copper based CuZnAl and CuAlMn alloys. X-ray diffraction profiles and electron diffraction patterns exhibit super lattice reflections inherited from parent phase due to the displacive character of martensitic transformation. X-ray diffractograms taken in a long-time interval show that diffraction angles and intensities of diffraction peaks change with the aging time at room temperature. In particular, some of the successive peak pairs providing a special relation between Miller indices come close each other. This result refers to a new reaction in diffusive manner.

Statement of the Problem: Zinc oxide is a well explored material semiconductor material that has been reported and studied for around a century. It has been utilized for sensing, optoelectronic studies, antimicrobial properties etc. Like other semi-conductors, the properties of ZnO can also be tuned by changing the morphology, porosity, structure defect crystallization phase etc. Various methods have been employed to enhance porosity and fabrication of novel crystal phase. However, till date, there has been no other crystalline phase reported other than hexagonal wurtzite and cubic zinc blende phase. Here, we have employed an anti-adiabatic drug, metformin, as template for synthesis of ZnO in hydrothermal pathway. As a result we have obtained two different type of ZnO crystal structure with triclinic phase. Two different structures of ZnO was obtained while using two different pathway where in one path it has been a salt to oxide synthesis where as in the other it is a transformation of one crystalline phase to other. These materials NZO-1 and NZO-2 has been thoroughly characterized using PXRD, TEM and XPS. The PXRD patterns are indexed to identify the crystalline plane. In both the cases, the materials are found to be nanorod composed of self-assembled spherical ZnO nanoparticles. NZO-1 in presence of photo-sensitive covalent organic framework has shown enhanced semiconducting properties for photoelectrochemical water oxidation compared to ZnO hexagonal wurtzite phase. NZO-2, on the other hand, was surface phosphorylated which has shown good proton conducting properties under hydrous conditions. Both of them have shown unique opto-electronic properties under different conditions. NZO-2 in particular has shown red emission under laser irradiation.

Nowadays, lightweight concrete has many applications in the concrete and construction industry. This study aims to overcome the project's cost and re-use the waste material dumped by the textile industry known as a pumice stone. Besides, an attempt has been made to compare the conventional concrete and lightweight aggregate concrete using a mix ratio of 1:1.5:3 and determine the strength parameters of lightweight aggregate concrete. Lightweight concrete is made by Partial Replacement of Coarse Aggregate with different proportions of Pumice ranging from 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Furthermore, several tests have been conducted to investigate mechanical properties (Compressive strength and tensile strength) and power of hydrogen (PH). Each set comprised of 21 cylinders for both compressive and split tensile, and 27 cubes were casted for the PH. The experimental results show that the strength gradually decreases as the percentage of pumice stone increases, and up to 30% of lightweight aggregate as a partial replacement gives the desired compressive strength. Besides, the split tensile strength decrease when the percentage of pumice stone increases and gives the desired strength up to 30% replacement. The PH density of concrete is decreased with the increase in percentage replacement of natural aggregate by pumice aggregate. It is concluded that 30% replaced concrete can be effectively used for structural purposes, whereas 50%, 75%, and 100% can only be suitable for the non-structural members.