Controllable Architecture of Mesoporous Double-Nanoshell SiO2/TiO2 Hollow Tube Based on Layer by Layer Method

Abstract

Double-shell tubular on-dimensional structure can be fabricated through a layer by layer method, in which the core template was removed to create the tubular shape. In this paper, we report, for the first time, the double nanoshell SiO2/TiO2 hollow tubes prepared through a layer-by-layer deposition method involving the sol-gel process for the SiO2 and TiO2 generation. During TEOS and TEOT hydrolysis/condensation for the SiO2 and TiO2 shell layer formation, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is adopted both as the structure-directing template and as the mesopore-channel template distributing around the shell. The obtained double-nanoshell hollow tubes illustrate a large surface area and high pore volume. Also, mesoporous double-nanoshell SiO2/TiO2 hollow tubes have the inner and outer shell thickness of about 80 nm and 120 nm, respectively. Plus, the shell thickness of SiO2 and TiO2 is controllable depending on the used concentration of TEOS and TEOT during their sol-gel process. Therefore, the technique for the preparation of SiO2/TiO2 mesoporous double-nanoshell hollow tubes could provide new insights into the construction of mesoporous double-shell and hollow structure for other multicomponent and hierarchical hybrid systems.