Mesoporous materials are materials with high surface area and intrinsic porosity, and therefore have attracted great research interest due to these unique structures. Mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most widely studied mesoporous materials given its special characters and enormous applications. In this article, we highlight the significant work on mesoporous TiO2 including syntheses and applications, particularly in the field of photocatalysis, energy and biology. Different synthesis methods of mesoporous TiO2—including sol–gel, hydrothermal, solvothermal method, and other template methods—are covered and compared. The applications in photocatalysis, new energy batteries and in biological fields are demonstrated. New research directions and significant challenges of mesoporous TiO2 are also discussed.
Sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) is a route to the precision deposition of inorganic solids in analogy to atomic layer deposition but occurs within (vs upon) a soft material template. SIS has enabled exquisite nanoscale morphological complexity in various oxides through selective nucleation in block copolymers templates. However, the earliest stages of SIS growth remain unresolved, including the atomic structure of nuclei and the evolution of local coordination environments, before and after polymer template removal. We employed In K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure and atomic pair distribution function analysis of high-energy X-ray scattering to unravel (1) the structural evolution of InO x H y clusters inside a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) host matrix and (2) the formation of porous In 2 O 3 solids (obtained after annealing) as a function of SIS cycle number. Early SIS cycles result in InO x H y cluster growth with high aspect ratio, followed by the formation of a threedimensional network with additional SIS cycles. That the atomic structures of the InO x H y clusters can be modeled as multinuclear clusters with bonding patterns related to those in In 2 O 3 and In(OH) 3 crystal structures suggests that SIS may be an efficient route to 3D arrays of discrete-atom-number clusters. Annealing the mixed inorganic/polymer films in air removes the PMMA template and consolidates the as-grown clusters into cubic In 2 O 3 nanocrystals with structural details that also depend on SIS cycle number.
A copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF), [Cu(TMA)(HO)] (also known as HKUST-1, where TMA stands for trimesic acid), and its TiO nanocomposites were directly synthesized in micrometer-sized droplets via a rapid aerosol route for the first time. The effects of synthesis temperature and precursor component ratio on the physicochemical properties of the materials were systematically investigated. Theoretical calculations on the mass and heat transfer within the microdroplets revealed that the fast solvent evaporation and high heat transfer rates are the major driving forces. The fast droplet shrinkage because of evaporation induces the drastic increase in the supersaturation ratio of the precursor, and subsequently promotes the rapid nucleation and crystal growth of the materials. The HKUST-1-based nanomaterials synthesized via the aerosol route demonstrated good crystallinity, large surface area, and great photostability, comparable with those fabricated by wet-chemistry methods. With TiO embedded in the HKUST-1 matrix, the surface area of the composite is largely maintained, which enables significant improvement in the CO photoreduction efficiency, as compared with pristine TiO. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy analysis suggests that the performance enhancement was due to the stable and high-capacity reactant adsorption by HKUST-1. The current work shows great promise in the aerosol route's capability to address the mass and heat transfer issues of MOFs formation at the microscale level, and ability to synthesize a series of MOFs-based nanomaterials in a rapid and scalable manner for energy and environmental applications.
In recent years, flexible stress sensors capable of monitoring diverse body movements and physiological signals have been attracting great attention in the fields of healthcare systems, human–machine interfaces, and wearable electronics. Inspired by the structure of natural eggshell inner membrane (ESIM), we developed a pressure sensor based on MXene (Ti3C2Tx)/Ag NWs (silver nanowires) composite electrodes and the micro-structured dielectric layer to meet the application requirements of wide detection range and long-term stability for the sensors. In the light of the nanoscale-microarray of the dielectric layer and the rough surface of electrode materials, this pressure sensor is expected to allow great and persistent deformation during the loading process. As a result, the device is characterized by an improved sensitivity, fast response (in the millisecond range), wide detection range (0–600 kPa), and long-term stability. The outstanding performance of the proposed sensor makes it possible to detect various human activities, such as speaking, air blowing, clenching, walking, finger/knee/elbow bending, and striking, demonstrating its good application prospects in wearable and flexible electronic devices.
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