10.1021/nn1004765.s001 Pascal Hartmann Pascal Hartmann Doh-Kwon Lee Doh-Kwon Lee Bernd M. Smarsly Bernd M. Smarsly Juergen Janek Juergen Janek Mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub>: Comparison of Classical Sol−Gel and Nanoparticle Based Photoelectrodes for the Water Splitting Reaction American Chemical Society 2010 mesoporous TiO 2 films TiO 2 nanoparticles templating methods heat treatment photoelectrochemical experiments 10 times mesoporous TiO 2 films cause Water Splitting ReactionThis paper electrochemical applications water splitting reaction photoelectrochemical properties 2010-06-22 00:00:00 Journal contribution https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Mesoporous_TiO_sub_2_sub_Comparison_of_Classical_Sol_Gel_and_Nanoparticle_Based_Photoelectrodes_for_the_Water_Splitting_Reaction/2758873 This paper describes a systematic comparison of the photoelectrochemical properties of mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub> films prepared by the two most prevalent templating methods: The use of preformed, crystalline nanoparticles is generally considered advantageous compared to the usage of molecular precursors such as TiCl<sub>4</sub>, since the latter requires a separate heat treatment at elevated temperature to induce crystallization. However, our photoelectrochemical experiments clearly show that sol−gel derived mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub> films cause an about 10 times higher efficiency for the water splitting reaction than their counterparts obtained from crystalline TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles. This result indicates that for electrochemical applications the performance of nanoparticle-based metal oxide films might suffer from insufficient electronic connectivity.