Fabrication of titania nanostructures using core–shell polymer nanofibers from block copolymers as templates

Core–shell polymer nanoobjects obtained from a polystyrene-block  -poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-bb-P4VP) block copolymer (BCP) were used as a sacrificial template for the preparation of titania nanotubes and nanospheres. The core–shell nanoobjects with a shell composed of P4VP blocks were used as hosts to carry out the sol–gel synthesis of titania using titanium isopropoxide as the precursor. The loading of precursor on the polymer nanoobjects could be done in the solution (dispersion) state as well as in solid state, that is, after immobilizing of BCP templates on the substrate. The titania/polymer nanoobjects thus fabricated were calcined at high temperature to produce pure titania nanoobjects. The formation of the titania nanoobjects was confirmed by the energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) analysis.

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