A Novel Pathway for the Preparation of Mesoporous Si-MCM-41, and Its Characterization

In 1992, Mobil scientists first reported the synthesis of mesoporous silicate molecular sieves (M41S), of which hexagonal MCM-41 and cubic MCM-48 are representatives, by using micelles as pore-forming templates under hydrothermal conditions (100–150oC)[1]. MCM-41 with a hexagonal arrangement of uniform channels of 15–100 Å diameter. Pure silica MCM-41 is a potential catalyst support and a sorbent for separation. The synthesis and properties of ordered mesoporous materials (OMMs) have been extensively studied during the last decade with the particular interest in the prospective applications of these highly promising materials [2]. The synthesis of silica based OMMs, such as MCM-41, usually involves the formation of ion pairs between the oligomeric silicate species and surfactant ions, and the subsequent self-assembly of these ion pairs into ordered silicate-surfactant composites. It is also known that the charge density matching at the silicate-surfactant interface is a crucial parameter which determines the structure of the self-assembled silicate surfactant composites [3]. In this paper, the novel pathway for the preparation of mesoporous silica was investigated by using inorganic silicate sources, cationic surfactant and pH adjustment