Sol-gel synthesis of macro-mesoporous Al2O3-SiO2-TiO2 monoliths via phase separation route

Monolithic Al2O3-SiO2-TiO2 with multiscale porous structures has been prepared via a sol-gel process accompanied by phase separation. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is used to induce the phase separation and formamide (FA) to control the gelation of ternary system. The dried gel is amorphous. After heat treatment at 1050 degrees C, the gel transforms into the phase Al4Ti2SiO12. The interconnected macropores are well maintained and the meso-/micropores are disappeared. The homogeneous dispersion of Al, Si and Ti in the skeleton indicates that sol-gel technique could provide a very feasible way for the preparation of hierarchical monolithic composite materials. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.