Preparation of Thermally Stable Mesostructured Nano-sized TiO₂ Particles by Modified Sol–Gel Method Using Ionic Liquid

Abstract

The mesoporous anatase form of TiO₂ was prepared by modified sol–gel method using ionic liquid as a template agent. The prepared nanosize TiO₂ particle was characterized by N₂-physisorption, XRD, TEM, and SEM. The physical properties of prepared TiO₂ particles were compared with that prepared by conventional sol–gel method without template. It has been proved that the anatase phase prepared by modified sol–gel process using ionic liquid was preserved well even if the TiO₂ samples were treated at high temperatures up to 800 °C while those prepared by conventional sol–gel method were transformed from anatase to rutile phase gradually during calcinations at 600 °C. Moreover, there was no phase transition in the sample obtained by sol–gel method with ionic liquid in spite of prolonged calcination for 60 h at 600 °C. However, in case of those samples prepared by conventional sol–gel method, the portion of rutile form was continuously increased with the increase in the calcination period.