Nanostructured titania-diphosphonate hybrid materials with a porous hierarchy

An organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructured material of titania-diphosphonate (Ti-HEDP) was prepared from a simple self-assembly process with the precursor tetrabutyl titanate and 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP). The prepared hybrid Ti-HEDP has a semicrystalline anatase phase, exhibiting a hierarchical macroporous structure composed of mesostructured Ti-HEDP nanorods with a length of 80-150nm and a thickness of 18-38nm. The BET surface area is 257 m(2)/g. The 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diyl-bridged organophosphonate groups were homogeneously incorported into the network of the hierarchical nanostructured/porous solid, as revealed by FT-IR spectroscopy, MAS NMR spectroscopy, XPS, and TGA measurements. The optical property, photocatalytic activity, and metal ion adsorption ability of the hierarchical Ti-HEDP materials were also investigated, suggesting that they have potential applications in catalysis and adsorption. (C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008.