Gelatin-templated mesoporous titania for photocatalytic air treatment and application in metal chalcogenide nanoparticle-sensitized solar cells

Mesoporous titania as powders and thin films on ITO were prepared using gelatin as an available and non-expensive pore-forming agent. The mesoporous TiO2 manifested a much higher photocatalytic activity in the gas-phase air oxidation of ethanol and acetaldehyde than the commercial nanocrystalline TiO2 P25 (Degussa Corp.). The mesoporous ITO/TiO2 films exhibited 12-14% efficiency of photocurrent generation in aqueous Na2S electrolyte when illuminated by UV light. Deposition of CdS and PbS nanoparticles onto the surface of ITO/TiO2 further increases the photocurrent yields and expands the light sensitivity range of the films to 500-520 nm (CdS) and to 650-700 nm (PbS).