Kinetic Influence of Siliceous Reactions on Structure Formation of Mesoporous Silica Formed via the Co-Structure Directing Agent Route

Abstract

We investigate the mechanism responsible for the formation of mesoporous silica formed with the so-called costructure directing agent (CSDA) route. The synthesis relies on the interaction between silica source (tetraethylorthosilicate), cationic surfactant (C18H37N+(CH3)2(CH2)3N+(CH3)3Br2), and CSDA (carboxyethylsilanetriol), which results in a material functionalized with carboxylic groups. Depending on the concentration of HCl in the synthesis, the structure is defined by Fm3m (at high pH) and by Fd3m (at low pH), with a gradual transition in the intermediate pH range. Here, we aim at finding the origin for the structural change triggered by pH and investigate the effects of the hydrolysis of the silica source on the overall kinetics of the synthesis. A fast process results in Fm3m, regardless of pH, and a slow process results in Fd3m. The hydrolysis step is the important structural control parameter. We studied the cross-linking of silica and CSDA using 29Si NMR. The cross-linking is similar for th...