Baishya, K.Ray, J.S.Dutta, P.Das, P.P.Das, S.K.2026-02-052018Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing, 2018, 124, 10, pp. -9478396https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-018-2097-0https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/24987Engineering the band gap of semiconductors is often crucial in the quest for developing new and advanced technologies. In this report, the implication of graphene on the band gap optimization of tungsten trioxide (WO<inf>3</inf>) is discussed. Simple one-step sol–gel process was followed to anchor WO<inf>3</inf> nanoparticles in graphene. Graphene induces a redshift in the band gap of WO<inf>3</inf>. Band gap narrowing of 6.60% is observed for 7 wt% graphene-tethered WO<inf>3</inf>. Interestingly, a profound difference is observed in estimating the band gap energy values following the usual Tauc equation. Our observation suggests that the differential form of Tauc equation is better suited to determine the band gap energy of inorganic semiconductors than the typical extrapolation method. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.GrapheneNanoparticlesSolsTungsten compoundsAdvanced technologyBand gap energyBand gap engineeringBand gap narrowingDifferential formsGel processInorganic semiconductorsTungsten trioxideEnergy gap