Tailored Fabrication of Transferable and Hollow Weblike Titanium Dioxide Structures

The preparation of weblike titanium dioxide thin films by
atomic layer deposition on cellulose biotemplates is reported.
The method produces a TiO2 web, which is flexible and transferable
from the deposition substrate to that of the end application.
Removal of the cellulose template by calcination converts
the amorphous titania to crystalline anatase and gives
the structure a hollow morphology. The TiO2 webs are thoroughly
characterized using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction,
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to give new insight
into manufacturing of porous titanium dioxide structures by
means of template-based methods. Functionality and integrity
of the TiO2 hollow weblike thin films were successfully confirmed
by applying them as electrodes in dye-sensitized solar
cells.