US EPA

1171632 

Journal Article 

The effect of alcohol solvents on the porosity and phase composition of titania 

Song, KC; Pratsinis, SE 

2000 

Yes 

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
ISSN: 0021-9797
EISSN: 1095-7103 

231 

2 

289-298 

English 

11049679 

10.1006/jcis.2000.7147 

Bimodally porous titania powders were made by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) dissolved in various alcohols (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and sec-butanol). The specific surface area (SSA) of the powders dried at 150 degrees C ranged from 332 to 624 m(2)/g as determined by nitrogen adsorption. At excess alcohol concentration, the SSA of the dried powders decreased in the order of sec-butanol, iso-propanol, ethanol, and methanol at a constant alcohol/TTIP molar ratio. The pore size distribution was bimodal with fine intraparticle pore diameters at 1-6 nm and larger interparticle pore diameters at 30-120 nm as determined by nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The average intraparticle pore diameter decreased with increasing alcohol concentration for methanol and ethanol, while it was rather constant at 3.3 nm, irrespective of alcohol concentration for iso-propanol and sec-butanol. The evolution of particle phase composition was determined by X-ray diffraction ranging from amorphous to crystalline anatase and rutile largely proportional to the calcination temperature and to a lesser extent on the type and concentration of alcohols. Copyright 2000 Academic Press. 

titania powders; alcohol; bimodal pore size distribution; phase composition