Fabrication and characterization of TS-1 films on α-Al2O3 substrates using TiCl3 as titanium source

The continuous and highly intergrown anatase-free TS-1 film was fabricated with TiCl3 as the titanium source for the first time. The in situ nucleation and secondary growth method was employed to synthesize the TS-1 film. By means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, and FT-IR and UV–vis spectra measurements, the resulting film was observed to be anatase-free, continuous and highly intergrown with the MFI-type structure, and the Ti atoms existed only in tetrahedral coordination.