Ultrafast Crystallization of Ordered Mesoporous Metal Oxides and Carbon in Seconds

This Communication describes a facile strategy coupling block copolymer-directed self-assembly with high-power Joule heating to form highly crystalline and long-range ordered mesoporous oxide and carbon nanostructures in just a few seconds. The combined approach is compatible with various self-assembled hybrid systems, generating mesoporous composites of γ-Al2O3-carbon, γ-Al2O3/MgO-carbon and anatase-TiO2-carbon with p6mm symmetry, as well as mesoporous non-close-packed carbon structures. Removing the polymer/carbon gives well-defined mesoporous all-γ-Al2O3 and all-anatase-TiO2 structures. Impregnation of chloroplatinic acid followed by Joule heating yields platinum nanoparticles decorated on the channel walls of mesoporous γ-Al2O3-carbon structures. The rapid formation of thermally stable and periodically ordered crystalline oxide, carbon and oxide-carbon structures.