One-pot preparation of titania-nanoparticles through hairy and crew-cut type micelle templates

A facile approach successfully produced block copolymer micelle templated titanium oxide nanoparticles via electrostatic interaction based adsorption between cationic polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) and negatively charged titania precursor, titanium(IV) bis(ammonium lactate)dihydroxide (TALH) complexes in aqueous solution. Both hairy and crew-cut types of block copolymer micelles were examined as a particle scaffold. The diameter of the titiania nanoparticles prepared were from 10 to 70 nm depending on the molecular weight or type of block copolymer micelle template. Also, mass production of titania nanoparticles on the Si-wafer was shown by a one-pot process. The size morphologies and distributions shown were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results suggest that the versatile and environmentally friendly technique to manufacture titania nanoparticles, which could be easily widened to prepare electrostatic interaction based organic/inorganic complexes with further applications.