SYNTHESIS OF MESOPOROUS POLY(STYRENE-co-MALEIC ANHYDRIDE)/SILICA HYBRID MATERIALS VIA A NONSURFACTANT-TEMPLATED SOL-GEL PROCESS*

Mesoporous poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride)/silica hybrid materials have been prepared. The synthesis wasachieved by the HCl-catalyzed sol-gel reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymerin the presence of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as a coupling agent and citric acid as a nonsurfactant template orpore-forming agent, followed by ethanol extraction. Characterization results from nitrogen sorption isotherms and powder X-ray diffraction indicate that polymer-modified mesoporous materials with large specific surface areas (e.g. 900 m~2/g) andpore volumes (e.g. 0.6 cm~3/g) could be prepared. As the citric acid concentration is increased, the specific surface areas, porevolumes and pore diameters of the hybrid materials increase.