Preparation of submicrometer-sized titania hollow spheres by templating sulfonated polystyrene latex particles

Submicrometer-sized titania hollow spheres with tunable shell thickness and smooth surfaces have been successfully synthesized by employing sulfonated polystyrene (PS) latex particles as a template in sol-gel method. The structure of the particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The shell thickness was readily tuned by altering the concentration of titanium tetrabutoxide (TBOT) in ethanol solutions. The surface roughness as well as the shell thickness has the tendency to increase with the increase in the concentration of TBOT. The diameter of the hollow spheres was on the average of 20-26% smaller than the diameter of template PS latex particles. Some titania fragments were also observed for the sample with the highest TBOT concentration. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.