A Perspective on Mesoporous TiO2 Materials

Mesoporous TiO2 has gained increasing interest because of its outstanding properties and promising applications in a wide range of fields. In this Perspective, we summarize the significant advances on the synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 in terms of rationally controlling the hydrolysis and condensation rates of titanium precursors to enable the cooperative assembly and/or successful infiltration via the templating methods. The rational designs and fundamentals for preparing mesoporous TiO2 are presented in the context of improving the conversion efficiencies of solar energy (e.g., maximizing the UV and/or visible light adsorption, minimizing the recombination of photogenerated electron hole pairs, and optimizing the mass and charge transport) and enhancing the performances of lithium-ion batteries. New trends and ongoing challenges in this field are also highlighted and proposed.