Hierarchically macro/mesoporous silica monoliths constructed with interconnecting micrometer-sized unit rods

Under typical dilute reactant compositions (3 ~ 5 wt% of surfactant template concentration) and conventional hydrothermal conditions for mesoporous materials synthesis, successful preparation of hierarchically macro/mesoporous silica monoliths was reported in this paper. The resultant materials were characterized by a series of techniques including powder X-ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM, TEM/EDS, and Hg porosimetry. A new kind of stable and hierarchically porous pure silica monoliths was confirmed, which are featured with highly ordered mesoporous structures, rod-shaped unit particles, large specific surface area of 492 m²/g, continuous macropores of about 4.0 μm in size and high macropore volume of about 13.1 cm³/g. Moreover, using the resultant silica monoliths as hard templates, carbon monoliths have been successfully replicated, which inherit the structural characters of parent silica materials. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

等级孔介孔-微孔TS-1分子筛单晶的合成及催化氯丙烯环氧化性能

针对当前钛硅型分子筛存在的微孔孔道孔径限制导致的流通扩散性能差及催化效率低等关键瓶颈问题, 通过在微孔分子筛中构筑跨尺度贯通高物质传输性能的等级孔道结构, 对钛硅分子筛(TS-1)晶体内等级孔道结构的可控构筑及其催化环氧化进行了研究, 成功制备出具有富含介孔孔道的等级孔介孔-微孔TS-1分子筛单晶材料(HTS-1), 其在氯丙烯催化环氧化反应中表现出了优异的催化活性及稳定性能.     

Rh(OH)x/TS-1@KCC-1双功能催化剂上一锅反应合成伯酰胺

在微乳液体系中成功地将花瓣状介孔氧化硅微球(KCC-1)包覆在钛硅分子筛TS-1表面, 得到了一种新型微孔/介孔复合核壳结构材料TS-1@KCC-1. 详细考察了TS-1@KCC-1的合成条件及可能的形成机理. 适宜的合成温度及时间分别为373-393 K和4 h. 壳层厚度可方便地通过改变硅源正硅酸乙酯和TS-1的比例在25-80 nmm间进行调控. 以TS-1@KCC-1为载体负载Rh(OH)_x后即得到双功能催化材料Rh(OH)_x/TS-1@KCC-1, 该材料同时具有Ti和Rh(OH)_x活性中心, 可以高效催化醛、氨水和过氧化氢经一锅串联反应直接制备得到伯酰胺.     

Controlling the shape and alignment of mesopores by confinement in colloidal crystals: designer pathways to silica monoliths with hierarchical porosity

Monolithic pieces of hierarchically structured silica, containing both periodic macropores and mesopores with well-controlled architecture, are synthesized by dual templating methods. Colloidal crystal templating with close-packed arrays of poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres yields regular, highly interconnected macropores a few hundred nanometers in diameter, and templating with nonionic surfactants produces mesoporosity (2.5-5.1 nm pore diameters) in the macropore walls. Several distinct mesostructures can be achieved within the silica skeleton, depending on the choice of surfactant, co-surfactant, and processing conditions. In the three-dimensional (3D) confinement of the colloidal crystal template, wormlike channels, cubic (Pm3n), or two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal (P6mm) mesostructures are produced with the surfactant Brij 56 (C16H33(OCH2CH2)nOH (n approximately 10) and dodecane as cosurfactant. In the 2D hexagonal structure, channels are oriented perpendicular to the polymer spheres, thereby connecting adjacent macropores through the silica walls. This orientation contrasts with channel alignment parallel to latex spheres when the polymeric surfactant Pluronic P123 (EO20PO70EO20) is used. On the basis of high-resolution 3D transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and nitrogen sorption measurements, structural and textural properties of the monoliths are described in detail as a function of the synthesis parameters. The control over the mesoarchitecture of these silica-surfactant systems in 3D confinement is explained by considering the relative dimensions of the mesostructures with respect to the interstitial space in the latex template, interfacial interactions, entropic effects, and structural frustration.     

具有MFI骨架结构的介孔钛硅材料的合成、表征和催化性能

利用介孔碳作硬模板合成出具有MFI骨架结构的介孔钛硅材料. 该样品复制了类似SBA-15的介孔结构, 同时骨架含有MFI微孔结构. 透射电镜表征结果表明, 样品表面还有部分大孔结构. 催化结果证明了该样品既具有介孔材料较大孔道结构, 又保持了微孔钛硅材料的高活性.     

Preparation of multilevel macroporous materials using natural plants as templates

A series of two-dimensionally (2D) ordered macroporous silica materials have been prepared by using eight natural plants as templates. The macroporous materials replicate the complicated morphologies of natural plants precisely, and retained the original pore shape of plants. Meanwhile, these macroporous materials showed roughly similar morphologies and pore structure by the same part of plants, while the distribution of macropore diameters is ca. 8–1,000 μm. It may provide a effective approach to prepare macroporous materials with different 2D pore and complicated morphologies. These 2D ordered macropore silica materials may have potentially application for tissue repairing and templates materials to produce other kinds of macropores or hierarchically porous materials.     

Facile synthesis of mesoporous silica sublayer with hierarchical pore structure on ceramic membrane using anionic polyelectrolyte

A facile method for introducing mesoporous silica sublayer onto the surface of a ceramic membrane for use in liquid-phase separation is described. To reduce the electrostatic repulsion between the mesoporous silica sol and the ceramic membrane in highly acidic conditions (pH < 2), thus facilitating the approach of hydrolyzed silica sol to the surface of the membrane, poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (Na+PSS-, denoted as PSS-) was used as an ionic linker. The use of PSS- led to a significant reduction in positive charge on the ceramic membrane, as confirmed by experimental titration data. Consistent with the titration results, the amount of mesoporous silica particles on the surface of the ceramic membrane was low, in the absence of PSS- treatment, whereas mesoporous silica sublayer with hierarchical pore structure was produced, when 1 wt % PSS- was used. The results show that mesoporous silica grows in the confined surface, eventually forming a multistacked surface architecture. The mesoporous silica sublayer contained uniform, ordered (P6 mm) mesopores of ca. 7.5 nm from mesoporous silica as well as macropores ( approximately mum) from interparticle voids, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The morphologies of the supported mesoporous silica could be manipulated, thus permitting the generation of uniform needlelike forms or uniform spheroid particles by varying the concentration of PSS-.     

Facile fabrication of hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres for superhydrophilic and visible/near-IR antireflection coatings

A series of hierarchically mesostructured silica nanoparticles (MSNs) less than 100 nm in size were fabricated by means of a one-step synthesis using dodecanethiol (C(12)-SH) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the dual template, and trimethylbenzene (TMB) as the swelling agent. Silica nanoparticles with varied morphologies and structures, including mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable pore size, mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin solid shell, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable cavity size, and hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin solid shell, were obtained by regulating the TMB/CTAB molar ratio and the stirring rate with the assistance of C(12)-SH. Silica particulate coatings were successfully fabricated by using MSNs with varied morphologies and structures as building block through layer-by-layer dip-coating on glass substrates. The thickness and roughness of the silica particulate coatings could be tailored by regulating the deposition cycles of nanoparticles. The silica particulate coatings composed of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin shell (S2) increased the maximum transmittance of slide glass from 90 to 96%, whereas they reduced its minimum reflection from 8 to 2% at the optimized wavelength region that could be adjusted from visible to near-IR with a growing number of deposition cycles. The coatings also exhibited excellent superhydrophilic and antifogging properties. These mesostructured silica nanoparticles are also expected to serve as ideal scaffolds for biological, medical, and catalytic applications.     

One-step synthesis of hierarchical porous γ-alumina with high surface area

Hierarchical porous γ-alumina is successfully fabricated from a precursor solution consisting of surfactants, polystyrene (PS) spheres, inorganic salts and solvents. After calcinations, uniform macropores are closely packed. The macropore size coincides with the original PS sphere size. These macropores are connected by small windows. In addition, the macropore walls have mesoporous structures, as confirmed by SAXS measurement and TEM observation. After calcination at 900 °C, the amorphous alumina frameworks are converted to the crystallized γ-alumina phase. Even after crystallization, the existence of uniform mesopores and high surface are well retained, though the mesoporous ordering is lower.     

Mesoporous silica spheres from colloids

A novel method has been developed to synthesize mesoporous silica spheres using commercial silica colloids (SNOWTEX) as precursors and electrolytes (ammonium nitrate and sodium chloride) as destabilizers. Crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel was used as a temporary barrier to obtain dispersible spherical mesoporous silica particles. The influences of synthesis conditions including solution composition and calcination temperature on the formation of the mesoporous silica particles were systematically investigated. The structure and morphology of the mesoporous silica particles were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N2 sorption technique. Mesoporous silica particles with particle diameters ranging from 0.5 to 1.6 microm were produced whilst the BET surface area was in the range of 31-123 m2 g-1. Their pore size could be adjusted from 14.1 to 28.8 nm by increasing the starting particle diameter from 20-30 nm up to 70-100 nm. A simple and cost effective method is reported that should open up new opportunities for the synthesis of scalable host materials with controllable structures.     

Macro-cellular silica foams: synthesis during the natural creaming process of an oil-in-water emulsion

The room-temperature synthesis of a macro-mesoporous silica material during the natural creaming process of an oil-in-water emulsion is reported. The material has 3-dimensional interconnected macropores with a strut-like structure similar to meso-cellular silica foams with mesoporous walls of worm-hole structure. The material has very high surface area (approximately 800 m2 g(-1)) with narrow mesopore size distribution.     

Synthesis of titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) zeolite with high content of Ti by a dry gel conversion method using amorphous TiO2–SiO2 composite with highly dispersed Ti species

In this study, we have developed a new method to synthesize mesoporous titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with a higher content of active titanium in the framework (more than 5%) than that obtained from the conventional hydrothermal synthesis. The new method combines two methods as follows: (1) a sol-gel method in tetrahydrofuran for the synthesis of TiO₂–SiO₂ composite with highly dispersed Ti species and (2) a dry gel conversion method for the crystallization to TS-1. This investigation revealed that the dispersion of Ti in the starting materials was quite important to synthesize mesoporous TS-1 with high content of Ti besides dry conversion method. The obtained mesoporous TS-1 with a high content of titanium showed higher catalytic activity in 1-hexene epoxidation than conventional TS-1. This high activity is likely to originate from the high content of titanium in the framework.     

Trimodel hierarchical yolk-shell porous materials TS-1@mesocarbon:Synthesis and catalytic application

Trimodal hierarchical yolk-shell materials consisting of TS-1 core and mesoporous carbon shell(YS-TS-1@MC) was successfully synthesized by using TS-1@mesosilica as hard template,sucrose as carbon source and organic base tetrapropylammonium hydroxide(TPAOH) as silica etching agent.The resultant YS-TS-1@MC contains the micropores(0.51 nm) in TS-1 core,the mesopores(2.9 nm) in carbon shell as well as a void or a stack pore between TS-1 fragcments(TS-1 intercrystal mesopores,～18.4 nm).Under the rigorous etching conditions,the crystalline structure of TS-1 core was well retained.The YS-TS-1@MC served as a good support for palladium nano-particles(Pd NPs) or Rh(OH)x species,giving rise to efficient bifunctional catalysts for the tandem reactions including one-pot synthesis of propylene oxide or amides.     

Temperature dependent synthesis of micro- and meso-porous silica employing the thermo-responsive polymer of poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropylacrylamide) as structure-directing agent

Temperature dependent synthesis of micro- and meso-porous silica employing the thermo-responsive homopolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or the random copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) as structure-directing agent (SDA) and Na₂SiO₃ as silica source is proposed. The thermo-responsive character of the SDA provides the advantages including (1) temperature dependent synthesis of microporous silica, hierarchically micro-mesoporous silica, and mesoporous silica just by changing the aging temperature below or above the low critical solution temperature of the thermo-responsive SDA, and (2) elimination of the thermo-responsive SDA from silica matrix by water extraction. The synthesis mechanism is discussed, and the effect of the aging temperature and the weight radio of SDA/Na₂SiO₃ on the synthesis of micro- and meso-porous silica are studied. Microporous silica, hierarchically micro-mesoporous silica and mesoporous silica with the surface area at 3.5−9.0 × 10² m²/g and the pore volume at 0.28−1.13 cm³/g and the average pore size ranging from 1.1 to 9.0 nm are synthesized. The strategy affords a new and environmentally benign way to fabricate porous silica materials, and is believed to bridge the gap between the synthesis of microporous and mesoporous silica materials.     

Encapsulating Sulfur into Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon as a High‐Performance Cathode for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

A three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchical carbon–sulfur nanocomposite that is useful as a high‐performance cathode for rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries is reported. The 3D hierarchically ordered porous carbon (HOPC) with mesoporous walls and interconnected macropores was prepared by in situ self‐assembly of colloidal polymer and silica spheres with sucrose as the carbon source. The obtained porous carbon possesses a large specific surface area and pore volume with narrow mesopore size distribution, and acts as a host and conducting framework to contain highly dispersed elemental sulfur. Electrochemical tests reveal that the HOPC/S nanocomposite with well‐defined nanostructure delivers a high initial specific capacity up to 1193 mAh g^?1 and a stable capacity of 884 mAh g^?1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. In addition, the HOPC/S nanocomposite exhibits high reversible capacity at high rates. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed exclusively to the beneficial integration of the mesopores for the electrochemical reaction and macropores for ion transport. The mesoporous walls of the HOPC act as solvent‐restricted reactors for the redox reaction of sulfur and aid in suppressing the diffusion of polysulfide species into the electrolyte. The “open” ordered interconnected macropores and windows facilitate transportation of electrolyte and solvated lithium ions during the charge/discharge process. These results show that nanostructured carbon with hierarchical pore distribution could be a promising scaffold for encapsulating sulfur to approach high specific capacity and energy density with long cycling performance.     

Pore structural characterization of monolithic silica columns by inverse size-exclusion chromatography

In this work, a parallel pore model (PPM) and a pore network model (PNM) are developed to provide a state-of-art method for the calculation of several characteristic pore structural parameters from inverse size-exclusion chromatography (ISEC) experiments. The proposed PPM and PNM could be applicable to both monoliths and columns packed with porous particles. The PPM and PNM proposed in this work are able to predict the existence of the second inflection point in the experimental exclusion curve that has been observed for monolithic materials by accounting for volume partitioning of the polymer standards in the macropores of the column. The appearance and prominence of the second inflection point in the exclusion curve is determined to depend strongly on the void fraction of the macropores (flow-through pores), (b) the nominal diameter of the macropores, and (c) the radius of gyration of the largest polymer standard employed in the determination of the experimental ISEC exclusion curve. The conditions that dictate the appearance and prominence of the second inflection point in the exclusion curve are presented. The proposed models are applied to experimentally measured ISEC exclusion curves of six silica monoliths having different macropore and mesopore diameters. The PPM and PNM proposed in this work are able to determine the void fractions of the macropores and silica skeleton, the pore connectivity of the mesopores, as well as the pore number distribution (PND) and pore volume distribution (PVD) of the mesopores. The results indicate that the mesoporous structure of all materials studied is well connected as evidenced by the similarities between the PVDs calculated with the PPM and the PNM, and by the high pore connectivity values obtained from the PNM. Due to the fact that the proposed models can predict the existence of the second inflection point in the exclusion curves, the proposed models could be more applicable than other models for ISEC characterization of chromatographic columns with small diameter macropores (interstitial pores) and/or large macropore (interstitial pore) void fractions. It should be noted that the PNM can always be applied without the use of the PPM, since the PPM is an idealization that considers an infinitely connected porous medium and for materials having a low (<6) pore connectivity the PPM would force the PVD to a lower average diameter and larger distribution width as opposed to properly accounting for the network effects present in the real porous medium.     

Formation of fractal porous silica by hydrolysis of TEOS in a bicontinuous microemulsion

Mesoporous silica particles have been prepared by hydrolysis of TEOS (Si(OC₂H₅)₄) in bicontinuous microemulsions containing polyoxyethylene (POE) dodecylether, isooctane and water. TEOS was dissolved in a continuous water phase and hydrolyzed by the dispersed water at around the phase inversion temperature (60°C). Undulating solid materials with layered mesostructures were produced from middle-phase microemulsions in the three phase region (o/w=0.2–0.7). On the other hand, the solids obtained from the lower aqueous phase in the three phase region were found to have a heterogeneous disordered structure. Measurements of the fractal dimensions were performed in the macropore region using a box-counting method for the outline of the SEM texture. We found that the macropore size distribution in the particles prepared from the middle-phase microemulsion follows the fractal rule with a dimension of 1.7. From the results of nitrogen adsorption/desorption curves on the silica, a steep increase in the adsorption amounts was observed at a relative pressure below 0.2, and adsorption/desorption hysteresis was also observed at a relative pressure between 0.3 and 0.5. These studies suggest that the silica synthesized in the bicontinuous microemulsion mesostructure has a very broad size range from micro to macropores with a fractal distribution.     

巯丙基功能化介孔纳米二氧化硅的合成

用三种不同的方法将巯基丙基三甲氧基硅烷(MPTMS)引入二氧化硅网络中, 合成了粒径为50-200 nm的巯丙基功能化的介孔纳米二氧化硅, 并利用透射电子显微镜, 热重分析等手段对其形貌与性能进行了表征. 在巯丙基官能团的作用下介孔纳米二氧化硅的形貌发生了重大改变, 由非常规则的六角形变为纳米棒. 控制反应时间可以调节介孔纳米二氧化硅的粒径大小, 用三乙醇胺代替氢氧化钠可以合成直径在100 nm以下的功能化介孔二氧化硅粒子. 为了保护巯基官能团, 选用了酸醇提取法去除模板. 另外, 对介孔二氧化硅粒子的形成机制也进行了探讨.     

Growth of mesoporous materials within colloidal crystal films by spin-coating

A combination of colloidal crystal planarization, stabilization, and novel infiltration techniques is used to build a bimodal porous silica film showing order at both the micron and the nanometer length scale. An infiltration method based on the spin-coating of the mesophase precursor onto a three-dimensional polystyrene colloidal crystal film allows a nanometer control tuning of the filling fraction of the mesoporous phase while preserving the optical quality of the template. These materials combine a high specific surface arising from the nanopores with increased mass transport and photonic crystal properties provided by the order of the macropores. Optical Bragg diffraction from these type of hierarchically ordered oxides is observed, allowing performing of optical monitoring of the different processes involved in the formation of the bimodal silica structure.     

Synthesis of Pt-SnOx/TS-1@SBA-16 Composites and Their High Catalytic Performance for Propane Dehydrogenation

A novel composite material of TS-1@SBA-16 was synthesized by enwrapping TS-1 zeolite crystals with mesoporous SBA-16 silica. This composite was used as catalyst support for loading Pt-SnOx in the propane dehydr genation(PDH) reaction. Catalysts were characterized by means ofN2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-Vis, and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of different contents of TS-1 on PDH was investigated, and the optimal amount of TS-1 was determined to be 10%. The catalyst with TS-1 content of 10% showed the highest PDH activity and the initial conversion of propane over it can achieve 54.5%, higher than those over TS-1 or SB A-16-supported ones. The superior catalytic performance of Pt-SnOx/TS-1 @SBA-16 is related to the synergistic effect of the excellent mass transfer performance through the hierarchical porous structure, suitable acid acidity and electronic effect of Ti species.