Lamellar micelles-mediated synthesis of nanoscale thick sheets of titania

A preparation route yielding nanocrystalline titania (TiO2) with an extremely high internal organisation and particle orientation was described. The method was based on utilisation of lamellar micelles composed of molecules of non-ionic surfactant as a template in the sol–gel process. The forming structure was finalised by combining extraction with subcritical water, extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide and thermal treatment to remove completely the organic matter. High surface area TiO2 with the preparation imprinted lamellar structure that guaranteed a narrow pore-size distribution was successfully achieved. Its internal organisation resembled an ideal model surface approximated by the slit pore geometry.