Synthesis of mesostructured titania with controlled crystalline framework

A simple synthetic approach to generate thermally stable mesostructured titania with controlled crystalline framework is reported. Large-pore mesoporous titania with pure anatase, rutile, bicrystalline (anatase and rutile), and tricrystalline (anatase, rutile, and brookite) frameworks are successfully synthesized by block copolymer templating method through simply varying the solvent and cosolvent (methanol, ethanol, 1-butanol, or 1-octanol, with or without water). Acidity is believed to determine the crystal structure formation. The crystalline mesoporous titania are characterized by X-ray diffract-ion (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and N-2 adsorption/desorption measurements.