Abstract
Well-organized cubic mesoporous TiO2 thin films (CMTTFs) with an anatase nanocrystalline framework were synthesized by a surfactant-templated method. A controlled aging environment of -20 ˚C allowed the formation of a bicontinuous cubic mesostructure with the largest d(111) spacing of 98 Å in the TiO2 films. An appropriate calcination temperature of 400 ˚C resulted in the removal of the template and the crystallization of the framework without destroying the mesostructural ordering. The obtained mesostructured (before calcination) and mesoporous (after calcination) TiO2 thin films were characterized by small angle-XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, TG-DTA, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The photovoltaic properties of the obtained CMTTF were characterized by fabricating a ITO/MEH-PPV/CMTTF/Au photovoltaic cell and measuring the photocurrent-voltage curves.
