Ticl4

We purchased urea (CH₄N₂O), La(NO₃)₃, dicyandiamideand (99%), and TiCl₄ from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co. (Shanghai, China) Ti(OCH(CH₃)₂)₄ and P123 (PEO-PPO-PEO) were purchased by Sigma-Aldrich. The water used throughout all of the experiments was purified using a Millipore system.

Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O(≥99.0%), NH₄VO₃(≥99.0%), NaCl(≥ 99.8%), NH₃·H₂O(~28%), HNO₃(~68%), HBO₃(≥99.8%), KOH(≥85.0%), Na₂SO₃(≥ 97.0%), Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O (≥98.5%), KMnO₄(≥ 99.5%), SrCO₃(≥99%), TiO₂(≥99%), Rh₂O₃(≥ 99.8%), RuCl₃·nH₂O(≥98%), K₂CrO₄(≥98%), polyvinyl alcohol(≥99%), Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O(≥99%), Na₂WO₄·2H₂O(≥99.5%), HCl(36.0~38.0%), (NH₄)₂C₂O₄·H₂O(≥99.8%), CuSO₄·5H₂O(≥99%), lactic acid_, NaOH(≥96%)_, and TiCl₄(≥98.0%) were purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. ZnO (99.9%), Cu₂O(99.9%), WO₃ (≥99.0%) and low-melting-point liquid metal (bismuth indium tin ingot/Field’s metal, Bi: In: Sn = 32.5: 51: 16.5 wt%) is purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All chemicals were used without further purification.

Reagent raw materials were TiCl₄ (greater than or equal to 99.5%, Sinopharm Chemical Reagent), HCl (36−38%, Sinopharm Chemical Reagent), citric acid (greater than or equal to 99.5%, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), ammonia (25−28%, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), BaCl₂ (greater than or equal to 99.5%, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), NaF (greater than or equal to 98%, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA, greater than or equal to 99.5%, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), quartz wool (1−3 µm, Nanjing Chemical Reagent), TiO₂ (P25, Aladdin Chemical Reagent) and methyl orange (AR, Nanjing Chemical Reagent); analytical balances (A1004B, Yoke Instrument), muffle furnace (SLR-1200, Shanghai Daheng Optics), high-temperature blast drying oven (XCT-0AS, Guangzhou Kenton), magnetic stirrer (H01-1G, Shanghai Mei Yingpu).