XRD studies of thermally stable mesoporous tungsten oxide synthesised by a templated sol–gel process from tungstic acid precursor

Thermally stable mesoporous tungsten oxide film was prepared by a surfactant templated sol–gel method using tungstic acid as tungsten source. By careful selection of suitable non-ionic surfactant and heating processes, thermally stable mesostructured tungsten oxide films can be obtained, capable of withstanding heat treatment at temperatures of more than 400 °C. The results show that tungstic acid is a suitable alternative precursor to the tungsten hexachloride normally reported in the literature for the preparation of mesostructured tungsten oxide. This work opens a new pathway for the preparation of mesoporous tungsten oxide films using tungstic acid precursor with many advantages including reduced cost, easy handling, and insensitivity to moisture.