Use of Mesoporous Silica Modified with Titanium Oxide as a Template for Preparation of Mesoporous Carbon Incorporating TiO2 Nanocrystals

Abstract

full professor since 1989 at the same university. His current research interests include mesostructured materials and several fields of inorganic materials chemistry. Some examples are intercalation chemistry, silicate chemistry, inorganic polymers, sol-gel chemistry, inorganic-organic hybrids, and self-organized materials. AbstractMesoporous silica modified with titanium oxide is shown to be useful as a template for the preparation of mesoporous carbon incorporating TiO 2 nanocrystals. The nanocomposite was prepared by deposition of carbon within the mesoporous silica template modified with titanium oxide, and subsequent template removal with NaOH (aq). The high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) image of the prepared nanocomposite clearly showed that small TiO 2 nanocrystals embedded on mesoporous carbon were formed. The SiOTi bonds between mesoporous silica and titanium oxide layers are effective to suppress the migration of the Ti species, resulting in the formation of the TiO 2 nanocrystals.