Abstract
A mesoporous titania thin film with a pseudo-single-crystal framework was synthesized on a lanthanum aluminate single-crystal substrate by a surfactant-assisted sol–gel method and liquid-phase epitaxial growth. The crystal lattices were well aligned within the titania framework. The highly energetic {001} facet was exposed on the top surface, which significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity.
Highlights
Mesoporous materials with pores of diameter 2–50 nm have properties such as a large pore volume, high surface area, and uniform mesopore size
A mesoporous titania thin film with a pseudo-single-crystal framework was synthesized on a lanthanum aluminate single-crystal substrate by a surfactant-assisted sol–gel method and liquid-phase epitaxial growth
Surfactant-assisted sol–gel methods, in which self-assembled amphipathic surfactant micelles are used as an organic template, enable facile synthesis of mesoporous materials
Summary
Mesoporous materials with pores of diameter 2–50 nm have properties such as a large pore volume, high surface area, and uniform mesopore size. Crystallites in the framework of a mesoporous thin lm synthesized via a surfactant-assisted sol–gel method are randomly oriented.. If the targeted physical property of the framework material originates from crystal lattice anisotropy, randomly oriented crystallites weaken this property. The use of liquid-phase epitaxial growth and a sol–gel process is attractive. Several previous studies of thin- lm synthesis by in-liquid epitaxial growth have been reported. Jung et al reported the synthesis of a sol–gel-grown epitaxial titania thin lm on a LaAlO3 (001) substrate, which had strong photocatalytic activity because of its enhanced photocarrier mobility.. To the best of our knowledge, the synthesis and photocatalytic activity of an epitaxially grown mesoporous titania thin lm have not yet been reported. A pseudo-single-crystal framework was obtained, which con rms successful liquid-phase epitaxial growth
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