Title | Self-Assembly Route to TiO2 and TiC with a Liquid Crystalline Order |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2019 |
Authors | Nguyen, T-D, Lizundia, E, Niederberger, M, Hamad, WY, MacLachlan, MJ |
Journal | CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS |
Volume | 31 |
Pagination | 2174-2181 |
Date Published | MAR 26 |
Type of Article | Article |
ISSN | 0897-4756 |
Abstract | We report the liquid crystalline self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with peroxotitanate to replicate large freestanding mesoporous films of TiO2 and chiral nematic TiC structures. The compatibility of cellulose liquid crystals with water-soluble peroxotitanate enabled them to self-assemble into flexible chiral nematic TiO2/cellulose composite films. The highly compatible peroxotitanate/CNC mixture is a new liquid crystalline system to investigate the development of photonic films with tunable optical properties and structural replication by varying the ratio of constituents. Iridescent peroxotitanate/CNC composites were heated under hydrothermal conditions and calcined to generate layered mesoporous anatase TiO2 replicas that are robust, semitransparent films. Through magnesiothermic reduction, we transformed carbonized peroxotitanate/ CNC assemblies to mesoporous TiC with a chiral nematic order. Our work shows the potential of the mesoporous TiC to function as a long-life cycle rechargeable lithium-ion battery anode material and may extend this route to other peroxometallate compounds. |
DOI | 10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b00462 |
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