Preparation and characterization of the continuous titanium-doped ZrO2 mesoporous fibers with large surface area

The continuous titanium-doped ZrO2 mesoporous fibers with a large surface area (190 m(2) g(-1), TZ50-400) have been prepared by the sol-gel method coupled with the chemical template route. In the formation process, the self-induced acid environment of ZrOCl2 center dot 8H(2)O in ethanol solution was utilized to avoid a rapid hydrolysis process and the viscous sol precursors were successfully obtained for spinning fibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra were used to study the chemical environment of surface Ti(IV) and Zr((IV)) ions. The findings disclose that the partial Ti atoms (less than 30 %) enter into the ZrO2 lattice and occupy the positions of Zr atoms, while the excess Ti atoms construct the linear Ti-O-Ti chains inside the extra framework, being favorable to prevent the collapse of meso structure.