Erdogan, D. A.Solouki, T.Ozensoy, E.2016-02-082016-02-0820152046-2069http://hdl.handle.net/11693/22937A simple sol-gel synthesis method is presented for the production of micron-sized buckyball-like TiO<inf>2</inf> architectures using naturally occurring Lycopodium clavatum (LC) spores as biotemplates. We demonstrate that by simply altering the calcination temperature and titanium(iv) isopropoxide : ethanol volume ratio, the crystal structure and surface composition of the buckyball-like TiO<inf>2</inf> overlayer can be readily fine-tuned. After the removal of the biological scaffold, the unique surface morphology and pore structure of the LC biotemplate can be successfully transferred to the inorganic TiO<inf>2</inf> overlayer. We also utilize photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye samples to demonstrate the photocatalytic functionality of these micron-sized buckyball-like TiO<inf>2</inf> architectures. Moreover, we show that the photocatalytic activity of TiO<inf>2</inf> overlayers can be modified in a controlled manner by varying the relative surface coverages of anatase and rutile domains. These results open a potential gateway for the synthesis of a variety of bio-inspired materials with unique surface properties and shapes comprised of reducible metal oxides, metal sulfides, mixed-metal oxides, and/or perovskites.EnglishOxide mineralsScaffoldsSol-gelsBio-inspired materialsBiological scaffoldsCalcination temperatureCatalytic applicationsLycopodium clavatumNaturally occurringPhoto catalytic degradationPhotocatalytic activitiesCrystal structureArticle10.1039/c5ra04171f