Preparation and characterization of monodisperse porous silica microspheres with controllable morphology and structure

A novel method for the preparation of monodisperse porous silica microspheres with controllable morphology and structure is reported. The starting porous polymer microspheres were first functionalized with ethylenediamine (EDA) to generate amino groups. Subsequently, silica nanoparticles were deposited in the porous polymer microsphere to form polymer/silica hybrid microspheres via a modified sol‐gel process in the presence of tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide (TBAB) or tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH). Upon calcination of the polymer/silica hybrid microspheres, the porous silica microspheres were obtained. The morphology, inner structure, and properties of the porous silica microspheres were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mercury intrusion method. The results show that the presence of TBAB or TMAH in the process not only prevents the agglomeration of the hybrid microspheres, but also governs the controllable morphology from a porous inner structure to a hollow‐cage structure. The obtained porous silica microspheres exhibit no shrinkage from the polymer microspheres with a yield of around 98%. These porous silica microspheres have potential applications in the fields of chromatography, catalyst, and biology. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012