Using colloidal TiO₂ from titanium tetrachloride as the precursor, and polystyrene (PS) beads as templates, nanostructure TiO₂ composite and TiO₂ hollow spheres were successfully prepared by the surfactant-assisted route and the technique of layer-by-layer self-assembly. SEM, XRD and TG-DTA were adopted for the study of the synthesized materials. The results indicated that the morphology, structure and the amount of TiO₂ on the surface of TiO₂/PS could be readily controlled by varying the reaction conditions such as temperature of assembly and calcination, pH of system and the doped amount of sulphate.

Key words: nanostructure TiO₂, TiO₂/PS composite sphere, TiO₂ hollow sphere, self-assembly