Scalable synthesis of three-dimensional interconnected mesoporous TiO2 nanotubes with ultra-large surface area

Abstract Mesoporous nanotubes represent a unique class of nanostructures with numerous applications including biomaterials, lithium ion battery anodes, and photocatalysts. Herein we describe for the first time a general, scalable, and reproducible approach for the production of 3D interconnected mesoporous TiO 2 nanotubes with ultrahigh specific surface area and large pore volume by using a nanofibrous template of bacterial cellulose (BC). The obtained samples were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results demonstrated that TiO 2 nanotubes sustained the 3D interconnected structure of pristine BC and exhibited an average diameter of 36 nm and a mesoporous wall with a mean mesopore size of 3.2 nm. The particular structure endows TiO 2 nanotubes with ultra-large surface area (1629 m 2 g −1 ) and high photocatalytic activity.