One pot synthesis of ordered mesoporous organosilica particles bearing propyl-, octyl- and hexadecyl-chains

Abstract

New hybrid organic–inorganic materials exhibiting ordered mesoporous structures have been synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane and various alkyltrimethoxysilanes with increasing length of the hydrocarbon chain (propyl, octyl, hexadecyl), in water–ethanol solution containing ammonia, in the presence of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) as templating agent. The obtained hybrid materials were characterized by using several physico-chemical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, 29Si MAS NMR, SEM and elemental analysis. It was shown that the direct synthesis procedure allows obtaining ordered hybrid mesoporous silica with various contents of organic functions, from 5 to 20 %. Moreover, increasing the chain length of the organic group, from propyl to octyl and hexadecyl leads to a change of the pore structure from hexagonal p6mm MCM-41 type architecture to cubic Ia3d MCM-48 type mesostructure.