Scalable synthesis of three-dimensional interconnected mesoporous TiO2 nanotubes with ultra-large surface area

Mesoporous nanotubes represent a unique class of nanostructures with numerous applications including biomaterials, lithium ion battery anodes, and photocatalysts. Herein we describe for the first time a general, scalable, and reproducible approach for the production of 3D interconnected mesoporous TiO2 nanotubes with ultrahigh specific surface area and large pore volume by using a nanofibrous template of bacterial cellulose (BC). The obtained samples were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results demonstrated that TiO2 nanotubes sustained the 3D interconnected structure of pristine BC and exhibited an average diameter of 36 nm and a mesoporous wall with a mean mesopore size of 3.2 nm. The particular structure endows TiO2 nanotubes with ultra-large surface area (1629 m2 g−1) and high photocatalytic activity.

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