The invention claimed is:
1. A method of manufacturing a porous product consisting essentially of titanium suboxide(s) of general formula TiO x , the value of x being between 1.6 and 1.9, said method comprising:
a) mixing raw materials comprising at least one source of titanium dioxide, a reducing agent comprising carbon and optionally one or more organic products,
b) forming the product,
c) optionally, performing a thermal treatment under air or an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to allow removal of a high proportion of the one or more organic products and below the evaporation temperature of the reducing agent,
d) sintering at a temperature above 1150° C. but not exceeding 1430° C., under a neutral or reducing atmosphere,
in which the source of titanium dioxide consists of at least 55 wt % of anatase,
wherein
a distribution of pore diameters in the porous product is approximately monomodal,
the median diameter d 50 of the pores of the porous product is between 0.5 and 5 micrometers,
the open porosity of the porous product is above 34%, and
the porous product comprises more than 90 wt %, in total, of Magnéli phases selected from Ti 4 O 7 , Ti 5 O 9 , Ti 6 O 11 or a mixture of at least two of these phases.
2. The method of manufacture as claimed in claim 1 , in which the amount of reducing agent is adjusted in such a way that the porous product corresponds to the general formula TiOx, the value of x being between 1.6 and 1.9.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the initial mixture comprises more than 90 wt % of anatase as the source of titanium dioxide.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the reducing agent comprising carbon is selected from carbon black, cokes or any other organic compound comprising at least 50 wt % of carbon, or at least 70 wt % or even 80 wt % of carbon.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the reducing agent is carbon black.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the initial mixture comprises between 1.5 and 5.0 wt % of carbon, relative to the total weight of titanium dioxide.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which step d) is performed under a neutral atmosphere.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which step d) is performed under a reducing atmosphere.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the mixture of raw materials comprises, by weight, at least 90% of titanium dioxide in the anatase form, and at least 3% of carbon black, and in which the sintering temperature is adjusted between 1300 and 1450° C.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the porous product consists essentially of Magnéli phases selected from Ti 4 O 7 and/or Ti 5 O 9 .
11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the initial mixture of raw materials comprises mineral material other than titanium dioxide, in an amount below 5.0% of the total mineral mass.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the initial mixture of raw materials comprises mineral material other than titanium dioxide, said mineral material being selected from the group consisting of silica SiO 2 , the oxides Nb 2 O 5 or Ta 2 O 5 , V 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 or the oxides of Ba, Sr, Mn, Cr, Fe, the oxides of alkali metals or of alkaline-earth metals.
13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more organic products are mixed with a solvent such as water.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the solvent is a water.
15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein step c) is performed when the one or more organic products are used during step a).
16. The method of manufacture as claimed in claim 2 , in which the value of x being between 1.75 and 1.85.
17. The method as claimed in claim 9 , in which the sintering is done under a neutral atmosphere.
18. A porous product, wherein:
the material making up said product corresponds to the general formula TiO x , the value of x being between 1.6 and 1.9,
the distribution of pore diameters is approximately monomodal,
the median diameter d 50 of the pores is between 0.5 and 5 micrometers,
the open porosity is above 34%, and
the porous product comprises more than 90 wt %, in total, of Magnéli phases selected from Ti 4 O 7 , Ti 5 O 9 , Ti 6 O 11 or a mixture of at least two of these phases.
19. The porous product as claimed in claim 18 , in which the median diameter d 50 of the pores is between 1 and 2.5 micrometers.
20. The porous product as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising, in said porous product, a mineral material other than TiO x , in an amount below 5.0% of the total mineral mass, said additional mineral material being selected from silica SiO 2 , the oxides Nb 2 O 5 or Ta 2 O 5 , V 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 or the oxides of Ba, Sr, Mn, Cr, Fe, the oxides of alkali metals or of alkaline-earth metals.