Nanocrystallised titania and zirconia mesoporous thin films exhibiting enhanced thermal stability

Tuned chemical conditions complemented with a set of treatments have been developed to enhance the thermal stability of transition metal oxide mesoporous thin films (up to 500degreesC for TiO2 and 450degreesC for ZrO2), allowing the formation of crack-free coatings presenting excellent optical quality ( transmittance higher than 85% in the visible region), tailored thickness ( from 50 to 700 nm), a highly organised cubic (Im3m space group for TiO2) or 2D-hexagonal (P6m space group for ZrO2) mesostructure, high surface area (140-200 m(2) g(-1)), controlled and narrowly distributed mesopore size (25-80 Angstrom), and a nanocrystalline inorganic framework (anatase or tetragonal zirconia).