title: Preparation and self-assembly of uniform TiO2/SiO2 composite submicrospheres.
abstract: Monodisperse spheres of silica were uniformly coated with titania through the hydrolysis of titanium alkoxide in order to increase the refractive index of complex submicrospheres and keep their monodispersity as well as their surface morphology. On the basis of the hydrolysis of tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT), a continuous-feeding procedure was used to fabricate 10-nm titania coatings on monodisperse colloidal silica submicrospheres of diameter 200 nm. The TiO2/SiO2 composite spheres were assembled to achieve structures with three-dimensional order by gravity sedimentation and vertical deposition. The complex sphere composition, quality, and morphology were characterized by different techniques.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Renxiao
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guiyun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Bingying
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheng