We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (t...

Oxygen-deficient titania (TiO2) nanoparticle photocatalysts were synthesized using a flame synthesis method. The degree of oxygen deficiency in the TiO2 particles could be changed by moving position quenching N2 gas ring with respect to reduce concentration flame. Photocatalytic property evaluation revealed that produced had better photocatalytic performance visible light region (wavelength λ >...

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) was employed to calculate the UV/vis spectra for three of the triphenylamine (TPA)-donor dyes, TC1, L1, and LJ1, in isolation as well as when complexed with a titania nanoparticle. TPA-donor dyes are a class of promising organic dyes for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The three dyes studied here are among the smallest of these molecu...

Bulk Au is very inert but Au nanoparticles less than 5 nm in size have been found to be catalytically active for several reactions, in particular for low-temperature oxidation of CO. Using high-energy X-ray diffraction coupled with atomic pair distribution function analysis and computer simulations we determine the structure of 3 nm and 10 nm Au particles supported on titania and silica as typi...

A quantitative method for the characterization of nanoscale 3D morphology is applied to the investigation of a hybrid solar cell based on a novel hierarchical nanostructured photoanode. A cross section of the solar cell device is prepared by focused ion beam milling in a micropillar geometry, which allows a detailed 3D reconstruction of the titania photoanode by electron tomography. It is found...

Nanoparticle films have become a promising low-cost, highsurface-area electrodematerial for solar cells and solar fuel production1,2. Compared to sintered nanoparticle films, oriented polycrystalline titania nanotubes offer the advantageof directed electron transport, and are expected to have higher electron mobility3–7. However, macroscopic measurements have revealed their electron mobility to...

Early indicators for nanoparticle-derived adverse health effects should provide a relative measure for cytotoxicity of nanomaterials in comparison to existing toxicological data. We have therefore evaluated a human mesothelioma and a rodent fibroblast cell line for in vitro cytotoxicity tests using seven industrially important nanoparticles. Their response in terms of metabolic activity and cel...

Metal oxide nanoparticles can be fabricated under high control via nonaqueous sol-gel synthesis. This route has been shown to lead to highly crystalline, uniform nanostructures, which explains the high and growing interest it is receiving. The underlying mechanisms are, however, so far only rudimentarily understood on a molecular scale. Here, we applied in situ FTIR spectroscopy and other techn...

Solvent sensitive organic/inorganic hybrid one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPCs) were prepared through alternating thin films of poly methyl methacrylate-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PMMA-co-PHEMA-co-PEGDMA) and titania nanoparticle sol by spincoating. Since the titania layer has a higher refractive index compared with the polymer layer, an obvious photoni...

Titania represents an important material that has wide applications. The bactericidal efficiency of TiO(2) has been shown to be dependent on the size of the nanoparticles, so it is important to be able to reliably estimate their dimensions. In this study, a stable TiO(2) cluster suspension is produced by the thermal solvent process, and ultrasmall clusters (<1 nm) with different sizes are obtai...