ABSTRACT
Recent progress is reviewed on the studies carried out to design a reaction field on surfaces consisting purely of metal oxides. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of silicon alkoxide, using a molecule as a template, formed a silica overlayer on a weakly basic metal oxide surface with molecular sieving properties of adsorption, catalysis and chemical sensing. The observed shape selectivity was consistent with the molecular shape and size and was high in comparison with that obtained by liquid phase preparation attempts to molecularly imprint metal oxides.
