Gelatin-templated mesoporous titania for photocatalytic air treatment and application in metal chalcogenide nanoparticle-sensitized solar cellsThis paper is published as part of the themed issue of contributions from the 7th European Meeting on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications held in Porto, Portugal, June 2012.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM and HRTEM images and particle size distribution, XRD spectrum, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isoth

Mesoporous titania as powders and thin films on ITO were prepared using gelatin as an available and non-expensive pore-forming agent. The mesoporous TiO 2 manifested a much higher photocatalytic activity in the gas-phase air oxidation of ethanol and acetaldehyde than the commercial nanocrystalline TiO 2 P25 (Degussa Corp.). The mesoporous ITO/TiO 2 films exhibited 12-14% efficiency of photocurrent generation in aqueous Na 2 S electrolyte when illuminated by UV light. Deposition of CdS and PbS nanoparticles onto the surface of ITO/TiO 2 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). Mesoporous TiO 2 synthesized using gelatin as a pore-forming agent exhibited high photocatalytic activity in the gas-phase ethanol and acetaldehyde oxidation and photoelectrochemical activity when sensitized by CdS and PbS nanoparticles and illuminated by UV and visible light.