Unique three-dimensionally (3D) ordered nanoporous calcite single crystals have been fabricated by exploiting the "amorphous to crystalline" strategy in combination with the colloidal crystal templating method. It was revealed that the surface-functionalized template and the vacuum-assisted filtration process were essential for the complete template replication. Such a bio-inspired strategy may suggest a general strategy for the fabrication of novel functional single-crystalline materials with 3D ordered nanopatterns.
Mesocrystals, which are assemblies of crystallographically oriented nanocrystals, have received increasing attention due to their unique properties such as high crystallinity, high porosity, oriented subunit alignment, and similarity to highly sophisticated biominerals. However, the controlled synthesis of TiO 2 mesocrystals has not been realized until recently, probably because of the difficulty in accurately controlling the reaction processes that produce TiO 2 crystals. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis and applications of TiO 2 mesocrystals are summarized with particular attention paid to the mechanisms of their formation. Three typical pathways for the preparation of TiO 2 mesocrystals are discussed, namely topotactic transformation, direct synthesis in solution, and growth on supports. The potential applications of TiO 2 mesocrystals in lithium ion batteries, photocatalysis, enzyme immobilization, and antireflection materials are also described.
The design and fabrication of nanostmctures based on titanium dioxide （TiO2） have attracted much attention because of their low cost, non-toxicity, stability, and potential applications in industry and technology. Recently, one-dimensional （1 D） struc- tured titanates have been used as titanium source to prepare TiO2 nanostructures with various crystalline phases, shapes, sizes, exposed facets, and hierarchical structures. Among the synthetic strategies, hydrothermal method is a facile route to controlla- ble preparation of well-crystalline TiO2 in one step. Herein, we review our recent progress in transferring 1D titanates into TiO2 nanostructures through hydrothermal method, including the transformation mechanism and applications.
