Preparation and characterization of TiO2 nanosponge

A procedure was developed to coat functionalized polystyrene spheres with well-defined layer of amorphous titanium dioxide. The core–shell particles can be turned into TiO2 nanosponge by calcining the dried particles in a furnace. The phase transformation temperature of TiO2 hybrid microspheres from anatase to rutile was increased by about 200 °C due to the blocking function of the calcined polymer remainder.