Abstract for presentation at Chemeca 2007

Synthesis of Mesostructured Titanium Dioxide Thin Film Electrodes

  • Wee Yong Gan, University of New South Wales, Australia
  • Dr Ken Chiang, University of New South Wales, Australia
  • Prof Huijun Zhao, Griffith University, Australia
  • Dr Shanqing Zhang, Griffith University, Australia
  • Prof Rose Amal, University of New South Wales, Australia

    • Mesoporous titanium dioxide thin film electrodes with well-defined morphology and designed physical structure represent a very interesting class of materials for enhanced light harvesting efficiency due to their enlarged surface area and multiple scattering [1]. In this project, an amphiphilic block copolymer was used as template in an evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) process to synthesize mesostructured titanium dioxide thin film electrodes. The physical and structural properties of the titanium dioxide mesostructures were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, N2-adsorption/desorption for surface area and porosity measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Following a calcination process, the resulted mesostructures possess high surface area and consist mainly of crystalline anatase. The existence of mesopore structure was further proved by scanning electron microscopy investigations. In order to observe the photoactivity of these films, photocurrent measurements were carried out in a photoelectrochemical cell. These porous titanium dioxide thin films were found to show an increased photoactivity for oxidation of oxalic acid as compared to non-porous films prepared in the same manner without the use of a template.


    Reference
    [1] D.M. Antonelli, J.Y. Ying, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 34 (1995) 2014.

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