ZIRCONIA-STABILIZED 25-ANGSTROM TIO2 ANATASE CRYSTALLITES IN A MESOPOROUS STRUCTURE

We have prepared and characterized a mesoporous material where the fra mework, of both the as-synthesized and calcined materials, is composed of ZrO2-doped 25-Angstrom TiO2 anatase crystallites. The nanocrystall ine framework is structured about a surfactant-templated, disordered p orous network with a uniform pore diameter of 28 Angstrom. Air calcina tion at 450 degrees C removes the surfactant to yield a mesoporous sol id with surface area of 330 m(2)/g. The mesoporous framework and TiO2 crystallite size are surprisingly robust, and we observed no substanti al structural differences between precalcined and calcined products.