Artificial reticular structure by continuous titanium oxide frameworks

Abstract

A series of macroporous titania films were fabricated using spherical soft colloids of polystyrene-block-poly(oxyethylene) (PS-b-PEO) and the macrostructure was systematically varied from reticular to spherical and large spherical according to the synthetic conditions. This macroreticular structure, which has never been organized by templating with organic assemblies/aggregates to date, was obtained with the controlled condensation of oxide frameworks in the presence of the soft PS-b-PEO colloids. The formation of reticular type pores was very sensitive to the synthetic conditions, which were optimized one-by-one for improving this unique colloidal PS-b-PEO templating approach for the precise structural design of inorganic oxide film as a more extendable method. Such spaces in the artificial reticular structure by continuous titania frameworks were designed in the range of macroscale to mesoscale. Accordingly, a new family of reticular type porous materials, which are suitable as porous platforms with very high surface area and allow smooth/rapid diffusion of targeted molecules, will be provided by this colloidal templating approach of organic block copolymer combined with the controlled condensation of frameworks for a variety of compositions.