Free-Standing High Surface Area Titania Films Grown at the Air–Water Interface

Abstract

Free-standing titania films were grown at the air–water interface, a novel method to synthesize robust TiO₂ nanowire/nanoparticle composite films. The calcined films contain an anatase crystal phase and have a high surface area with a structure composed of one-dimensional long nanowires and mesoporous nanoparticle branches. These suggest a promising way to manufacture large areas of thick porous titania films for many applications. As one possible application, use of these films in a dye-sensitized solar cell demonstrates the potential of these materials