Preparation And Characterization Of Stable Macroporous Titania Nano Wells

Silica based sol-gel thin films have been extensively studied because of their advantages that include optical transparency, high biodegradability and low intrinsic fluorescence. However, one concern with silica based sol-gel derived materials is their long term stability in aqueous solutions. Another concern is their limited porosity. These two concerns limit the application of these materials in catalysis and separations. The main objective of this study is to prepare porous, thin films using titanium alkoxides as precursors and evaluate their long term stability in aqueous solutions. Colloidal crystal templating will be used to introduce macrosized pores into the titania network. The materials will be characterized using SEM and AFM. To prove that the templated films provide access to the underlying surface of the electrode, a conducting metal like copper was electrodeposited inside the nano-wells. The stability of titania and silica films will be evaluated over a two month period using cyclic voltammetry with three redox probes.