Preparation of a mesoporous high surface area titanium oxo phosphate via a non-ionic surfactant route

Since the development of the first mesoporous silica materials by scientists of Mobil Oil [J.S. Beck, US Patent (Mobil Oil Corporation) 5, 057 (1991) 296], the synthesis principle has been applied to other metal oxides. Here, we report a new mesoporous titanium oxo phosphate, which is synthesized by a non-ionic template route (N0I0). The formation of the mesoporous structure is dominated by hydrogen bonding between self-assembled surfactant micelles and inorganic precursors. A low-cost industrial polyethylenoxide named Dodecanol +5 EO (BASF) was used as a non-ionic surfactant. The N2-adsorption isotherm reveals the existence of mesoporosity in these titanium oxo phosphates with a type IV isotherm and a BET-surface area of 350 m2 g−1, with pore sizes calculated to be approximately 4.5 nm. The materials are thermally stable up to 550°C, among the highest temperatures reported for very high surface area mesoporous oxides so far