Template-free synthesis of uniform magnetic mesoporous TiO2 nanospindles for highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides

A novel, simple and template-free strategy was developed for the synthesis of uniform magnetic mesoporous TiO2 nanospindles. Unlike previous synthetic approaches which mainly involve the strict control of sol-gel processes, templates, or capping agents, our strategy is based on an additional post-hydrolysis route, giving rise to mesoporous TiO2 with a high surface area (366 m(2) g(-1)). After crystallization, the mesoporous TiO2 nanospindles obtained a high surface area (similar to 117 m(2) g(-1)) and a large pore size (similar to 5.4 nm), and exhibited a high magnetic susceptibility (similar to 18.0 emu g(-1)), as well as showed a remarkable performance for highly selective and rapid enrichment of phosphopeptides with an unprecedented enrichment capacity of similar to 300 mg g(-1). These understandings open up a new way for the preparation of functional mesoporous TiO2-based materials with high surface areas in a template-free manner, which is of significant importance for applications from both environmental and industrial points of view.