Abstract
Porous nanocrystalline TiO2 anatase thin films have been synthesized on glass substrates via a sol-gel dip-coating method. The coating sol was obtained by suppressed hydrolysis of Ti(OC4H9)4 through the addition of complexing molecules as stabilizers in an alcohol solution containing polyethylene glycol (PEG). Chemical changes taking place during the sol-gel process were discussed based on IR spectra analysis. A model concerning the pore formation was established to explain the role of PEG and solvent with core-shell configuration as double-templates. The structural characteristics of porous TiO2 films were found to greatly depend on the concentration and molecular weight of PEG, the types of stabilizing agents and solvents. The pore size of the films was tunable in the range of 10–500 nm and their surface area varied from 51 to 72 m2·g−1.
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