NOVELTY - Synthesizing a phosphonic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material comprises: (a) synthesizing a phosphonated triblock copolymer template; (b) self-assembling the phosphonated triblock copolymer with tetraethyl orthosilicate to form a mesoporous silica material attached to the template; and (c) extracting at least a portion of the mesoporous silica material from the template.    USE - The methods are useful for: synthesizing a phosphonic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material; and preparing a mesoporous titania film. The phosphonic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material is useful as a solid acid catalyst in a pinacol-pinacolone rearrangement reaction and a transesterification reaction. The mesoporous titania film is useful for preparing a DSSC (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method produces highly ordered mesoporous materials having high surface area by removing templates under low temperature conditions, without calcination and decomposition of block copolymer templates. The DSSC uses solvent-washed, templated-mesoporous titanium dioxide based electrode having lower energy and cost of production, reduced disorder in the mesoporous titanium dioxide, higher surface densities of hydroxyls for attachment of chromophores, re-usable template molecules and concomitant improved solar conversion efficiencies.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (1) using the phosphonic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material as a solid acid catalyst in a pinacol-pinacolone rearrangement reaction comprising: acidifying terminal phosphate ester groups of the material; and mixing pinacol with the material;    (2) using the phosphonic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material as a solid acid catalyst in a transesterification reaction comprising: acidifying terminal phosphate ester groups of the material; and mixing an alcohol and an organic acid with the material to produce a corresponding ester;    (3) preparing a mesoporous titania film, comprising: (a) as above per se; (d) self-assembling the phosphonated poloxamer triblock copolymer template with titanium(IV) ethoxide to form a mesoporous titania-precursor dispersion attached to the template; (e) casting the attached dispersion onto a substrate to form a mesoporous titania/polymer film; and (f) extracting at least a portion of the template from the mesoporous titania/polymer film; and    (4) a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) comprising: an electrode comprising the mesoporous titania film, which is sensitized and supported on a conducting substrate; a platinized counter electrode; and an electrolyte.