Synthesis of mesoporous silica - titania foams

Abstract

Mesoporous silica with high specific surface area is an attractive material in many application fields such as catalysts and adsorbents. TiO₂ has been widely applied for photocatalysts. We successfully prepared mesoporous silica - titania foams by direct spraying precursor solution containing TEOS, surfactant, ammonia, and TiO₂ fine particles with a commercial foaming spray. Surface area and pore volume decreased with an increase in amount of TiO₂ because mesoporous silica particles were replaced with TiO₂ fine particles.