Acid-prepared mesostructures modified with TiO₂ by a template-titanium tetrabutoxide displacement process

A simple template-metal alkyloxide displacement process has been used to modify the pore surface of acid-prepared mesostructures with titanium dioxide. Spectroscopic studies indicate that the complete removal of surfactant template and the pore surface modification could be simultaneously realised. Structural analyses show that the high surface area, large pore size, and well-ordered mesostructure could be fully retained after modification. Elemental analyses with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) give a Si/Ti molar ratio of around 18. It was therefore concluded that titanium dioxide has been homogeneously dispersed in the pore channels. Additionally, the simplicity of this process makes it suitable to be used for the pore surface modification of mesoporous thin films.