Bottom-up synthesis of titanophosphate nanosheets by the aqueous solution process

The synthesis of titanophosphate nanosheets in aqueous sols was examined by the bottom-up process. The nanosheets were formed by mixing titanium iso-propoxide, phosphoric acid, and tetraalkylammonium hydroxide (NR₄OH) aqueous solutions, followed by diluting with water and heating at 80 °C, forming translucent aqueous sols of titanophosphate nanosheets with the same crystal structure as layered titanium phosphate Ti₂O₃(H₂PO₄)₂·2H₂O. Whether the nanosheets were crystallized depended on the reactions during the mixing of reagents before the water dilution. By controlling the acid-base reactions between the Ti species, phosphoric acid, and the hydroxides of bulky cations in the aqueous sols, the one-pot process yielded highly water-dispersible, flake-like titanophosphate nanosheets. Under some synthetic conditions, nanosheets formed even in weakly basic aqueous sols. These nanosheets can be coated on a substrate with low alkali-resistance, or used for the removal of metal ions from neutral aqueous solutions.