A nanocasting method using SBA-15 as a hard template was adopted to prepare mesoporous nanocrystalline ANbO3 (A = Li, Na, and K) samples. The characteristics of samples werecharacterized by techniques such asXRD, N2-sorption measurement, HRTEM and UVDRS. It was found that thealkality of the alkali metals could have profound impacts on the synthesis andthe physical properties of samples. The Li, Na, and K precursors can reacteasily with the siliceous template, and the reactivity varies with the alkalityof the alkali metal. The synthesis of KNbO3 is unsuccessful because of the high alkality ofK. The templated LiNbO3 andNaNbO3 consist of single crystalline nanoparticles that generate interparticle mesoporosity. The LiNbO3andNaNbO3 samples showed notably enhanced photocatalytic activitiesfor 2-propanol photodegradation in comparison to the counterparts prepared bythe solid state reaction.
