Thermogravimetric Investigations During the Synthesis of Silica-based MCM-41

MCM-41 material was synthesized starting from hydrogel containing colloidal fumed silica, sodium silicate, cetyltetramethylammonium bromide(CTMABr) as surfactant, and distilled water as solvent. These reactants were mixed to obtain a gel with the following composition: 4SiO₂:1Na₂O:1CTMABr:200H₂O. The hydrogel with pH=14 was hydrothermally treated at100°C, for 4 days. Each day, the pH was measured, and then adjusted to 9.5–10 by using 30%acetic acid solution. Thermogravimetry was the main technique, which was used to monitor the participation of the surfactant on the MCM-41 nanophase, being possible to determine the temperature ranges relative to water desorption as well as the surfactant decomposition and silanol condensation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.