Preparation and characterization of TiO2 hollow spheres

Anatase titania hollow spheres have been successfully prepared using styrene-acrylic acid copolymer (PSA) latex particles as template, which involves the deposition of inorganic coatings on the surface of PSA latex particles and subsequent removal of the latex particles by calcinations in air. Ti(SO4)2 instead of organometallic titanium was firstly used as precursor for the preparation of titania hollow spheres. The formation of anatase titania was confirmed by XRD analysis and the hollow structure of the samples was revealed by electron microscope.