Abstract
Mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO2 samples were prepared in the presence of various structural agents. Our approach involves the co-assembly of ionic surfactant or neutral soluble starch and titanium (IV) isopropoxide under mild reaction conditions. Small crystallites sizes of 23 nm were successfully obtained in non-polar solvent such as cyclohexane. Several methods were used to remove surfactants and their effect on the porous structure and surface area were compared. Soluble starch leads to mesoporous samples and enhances their thermal stability due to an increase in the wall thickness up to 10 nm.