Abstract
The performance in adsorption and catalysis efficiency are closely dependent on the morphology and structure of the catalysts and adsorbents. Herein, three dimensional (3D) macro-/mesoporous TiO2@C-Ni composites were successfully fabricated using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as a sacrificial template. Notably, the inorganic interlayer of TiO2 or SiO2 played an essential role in generating such 3D macro-/mesoporous Tiv(SiO2)@C-Ni composites. In the absence of TiO2 or SiO2, aggregated C-Ni composites were obtained instead. Owing to the well-defined 3D macro-/mesoporous structures as well as high coverage of Ni nanoparticles (NPs), the TiO2@C-Ni composites obtained at 500 degrees C in a N-2 atmosphere exhibited excellent performance in catalysis and protein adsorption. Moreover, the morphology of the 3D TiO2@C-Ni composites was greatly influenced by changing other different carbonization temperatures (700, 900 degrees C). Interestingly, when PMMA@TiO2@PDA-Ni2+ was annealed at 900 degrees C, all of the generated carbon nanotubes as well as the TiO2 interlayer were weaved together into a continuous 3D network, which will endow this kind of material with enhanced properties and excellent performance in energy storage fields.