Photosensitive Titanium Oxo-polymers : Synthesis and Structural Characterization

TiOCl2 acid solution hydrolyzes N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at room temperature, leading to the formation of dimethylammonium chloride (DMACl) and methanoic acid. During hydrolysis, a slow consumption of hydrochloric acid enables a gentle control over the inorganic polymerization. This one-pot process allows the preparation of novel hybrid organic–inorganic sols and gels based on titanium oxide. The hydrolytic inorganic polymer was structurally characterized by XAS, X-ray diffraction, and TEM measurements, and a chemical composition was proposed for sol and gel, based on FT-IR, Raman spectroscopies, and 1H and 13C NMR experiments for the organic part. Results on the kinetics and growth mechanisms for nanostructured sols and gels based on titanium oxide are presented to explain the respective roles of TiOCl2 and DMF in this double hydrolysis reaction.