Preparation of TiO2 aerogels by a sol-gel combined solvothermal route

Abstract

TiO₂ (anatase) aerogels with high surface area were prepared through solvothermally treating the TiO₂ based wet-gels prepared by the sol-gel method, followed by atmosphere-drying to remove the solvents from the gels. This route provided a new strategy for the preparation of crystalline metal oxide aerogels. The microstructure of the aerogel was studied in detail. The aerogels solvothermally treated at 140 °C exhibited a high BET surface area of 528.9 m²/g. All the aerogels showed extensive photoluminescent emission at 467, 555 and 615 nm, whose intensity decreased with the solvothermal temperature increasing and significantly increased after calcinations.