Macroporous titanium compound monolith and method for producing same

A method for producing a macroporous titanium compound monolith, comprising:

• placing a macroporous titanium dioxide monolith and a metal having titanium-reducing ability in a container, the macroporous titanium dioxide monolith having a co-continuous structure of a macropore and a framework that is composed of titanium dioxide;
• creating a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere within the container;
• and
• heating the monolith and the metal to cause gas-phase reduction that removes oxygen atom from the titanium dioxide composing the monolith by the metal acting as an oxygen getter, thereby obtaining a macroporous oxygen-deficient titanium oxide monolith having a co-continuous structure of the macropore and a framework that is composed of oxygen-deficient titanium oxide, the macroporous oxygen-deficient titanium oxide monolith having electron conductivity derived from the oxygen-deficient titanium oxide.

A method for producing a macroporous titanium compound monolith, comprising:

• placing a macroporous titanium compound monolith and a metal nitride in a container, the macroporous titanium compound monolith having a co-continuous structure of a macropore and a framework that is composed of titanium dioxide or oxygen-deficient titanium oxide;
• creating a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere within the container;
• and
• heating the monolith and the metal nitride to cause gas-phase reduction that removes oxygen atom from, and donates nitrogen atom to, the titanium compound composing the monolith by the metal nitride acting as an oxygen getter and as a nitrogen donor, thereby obtaining a macroporous titanium oxynitride monolith having a co-continuous structure of the macropore and a framework that is composed of titanium oxynitride, the macroporous titanium oxynitride monolith having electron conductivity derived from the titanium oxynitride.