Abstract
Mesoporous organosilica materials containing ethane groups in their framework were formed with two and three pore sizes (i.e. bimodal and trimodal pores) when synthesised by the sol-gel method in the presence of cobalt ions. The compounds 1,2-bistrimethoxysilylethane and tetraethylorthosilicate were used as silicon sources and the reactions were done in the presence of a surfactant, which served as a template. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy revealed that organic functional groups were incorporated into the ethanesilica. Powder X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption data indicated that the mesophase and textural properties (surface area, pore volume, pore diameter) of the materials were dependent on the ageing temperature, the amount/ratio of silica precursors and cobalt ion incorporation. Secondary mesopores were drastically reduced by changing the ratio of silicon precursors.
Highlights
Owing to their high surface area and large pore volume, porous materials are frequently used as adsorbents and industrial catalyst supports
We report on the synthesis of a hierarchical ordered mesoporous ethanesilica by co-condensation of 1,2-bistrimethoxysilylethane (BTME) with TEOS in the presence of cobalt ions and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the surfactant
Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) results confirmed the formation of organosilica materials and showed that the surfactant was removed by solvent extraction
Summary
Owing to their high surface area and large pore volume, porous materials are frequently used as adsorbents and industrial catalyst supports. The building block to make these ordered materials is a bridged silsesquioxane, with the general structural formula (R’O)3Si-R-Si(R’O)[3], where R and R’ are alkyl/aryl groups. The products produced from the hybrid silica materials contain the ‘O-Si-R-Si-O’ unit and are often called periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs)
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