Crystalline titania nanoparticles synthesized in nonpolar Lα lecithin liquid-crystalline media in one stage at ambient conditions.

High-temperature modification of titania in the form of nanoplatelets is synthesized fast in one step at ambient conditions without any additional treatment like aging or calcination. Lecithin, which is the main component of lipid matrix of biological membranes, is first used as a structure-driven template. It is demonstrated that this natural surfactant can self-organize into lamellar L(α) mesophase when small amounts of water are admixed in its solution in nonpolar solvent. The water locating mainly in lecithin polar region as hydration shell at this concentration triggers the hydrolysis-condensation reactions after the precursor addition that results in instantaneous titania formation in the form of crystalline nanoparticles. Planar lamellar sheets serve as the template specifying its crystallinity.