XRD studies of thermally stable mesoporous tungsten oxide synthesised by a templated sol-gel process from tungstic acid precursor

Thermally stable mesoporous tungsten oxide film was prepared by a surfactant templated sol-gel method using tungstic acid as tungsten source. By careful selection of suitable non-ionic surfactant and heating processes, thermally stable mesostructured tungsten oxide films can be obtained, capable of withstanding heat treatment at temperatures of more than 400 degrees C. The results show that tungstic acid is a suitable alternative precursor to the tungsten hexachloride normally reported in the literature for the preparation of mesostructured tungsten oxide. This work opens a new pathway for the preparation of mesoporous tungsten oxide films using tungstic acid precursor with many advantages including reduced cost, easy handling, and insensitivity to moisture. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.