Hands-on experience with x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) by using Bruker D8 Discover, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) by using Hitachi S-4800, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) by using Cary 5000 UV-Vis spectrophotometer, and Bruker Dektak XT Profilometer for thickness measurement of thin films.