A Facile Strategy for Fabrication Lysozyme-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanotubes from Electrospun Silk Fibroin Nanofiber Templates

This paper presents a facile and low-cost strategy for fabrication lysozyme-loaded mesoporous silica nanotubes (MSNTs) by using silk fibroin (SF) nanofiber templates. The “top-down method” was adopted to dissolve degummed silk in CaCl₂/ formic acid (FA) solvent, and the solution containing SF nanofibrils was used for electrospinning to prepare SF nanofiber templates. As SF contains a large number of -OH, -NH₂ and -COOH groups, the silica layer could be easily formed on its surface by the Söber sol-gel method without adding any surfactant or coupling agent. After calcination, the MSNTs were obtained with inner diameters about 200 nm, the wall thickness ranges from 37 ± 2 nm to 66 ± 3 nm and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area was up to 200.48 m²/g, the pore volume was 1.109 cm³/g. By loading lysozyme, the MSNTs exhibited relatively high drug encapsulation efficiency up to 31.82% and an excellent long-term sustained release in 360 h (15 days). These results suggest that the MSNTs with the hierarchical structure of mesoporous and macroporous will be a promising carrier for applications in biomacromolecular drug delivery systems.     

The Importance of Precursors and Modification Groups of Aerogels in CO2 Capture

The rapid growth of CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere has attracted great attention due to the influence of the greenhouse effect. Aerogels’ application for capturing CO₂ is quite promising owing to their numerous advantages, such as high porosity (~95%); these are predominantly mesoporous (20–50 nm) materials with very high surface area (>800 m²∙g⁻¹). To increase the CO₂ level of aerogels’ uptake capacity and selectivity, active materials have been investigated, such as potassium carbonate, K₂CO₃, amines, and ionic-liquid amino-acid moieties loaded onto the surface of aerogels. The flexibility of the composition and surface chemistry of aerogels can be modified intentionally—indeed, manipulated—for CO₂ capture. Up to now, most research has focused mainly on the synthesis of amine-modified silica aerogels and the evaluation of their CO₂-sorption properties. However, there is no comprehensive study focusing on the effect of different types of aerogels and modification groups on the adsorption of CO₂. In this review, we present, in broad terms, the use of different precursors, as well as modification of synthesis parameters. The present review aims to consider which kind of precursors and modification groups can serve as potentially attractive molecular-design characteristics in promising materials for capturing CO₂.     

Fabrication of synthetic opals composed of mesoporous SnO2 spheres with an anodization-assisted double template process

Synthetic opals composed of mesoporous SnO₂ spheres were successfully fabricated from anodization of Sn opals, double templated from polystyrene opals. The mesoporous SnO₂ spheres were 440 nm in diameter containing mesopores of 20–40 nm. The resultant mesoporous SnO₂ opals possessed a high specific surface area of 196 m²/g and a grain size of 12 nm as estimated from XRD patterns. Such a hierarchical structure of SnO₂ is a promising candidate for applications in gas sensors, catalysts, and electrode materials since the regularity of the sub-micron opal structure eases transfers of relevant chemical species within the structure while the mesoporosity of the constituent SnO₂ spheres offers sufficient functioning surfaces for targeted applications.     

Synthesis of Hollow Mesoporous TiO2 Microspheres with Single and Double Au Nanoparticle Layers for Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalysis

A facile method was used to prepare hollow mesoporous TiO₂ and Au@TiO₂ spheres using polystyrene (PS) templates. Au nanoparticles (NPs) were simultaneously synthesized and attached on the surface of PS spheres by reducing AuCl₄^? ions using sodium citrate which resulted in the uniform deposition of Au NPs. The outer coating of titania via sol‐gel produced PS@Au@TiO₂ core–shell spheres. Removing the templates from these core–shell spheres through calcination produced hollow mesoporous and crystalline Au@TiO₂ spheres with Au NPs inside the TiO₂ shell in a single step. Anatase spheres with double Au NPs layers, one inside and another outside of TiO₂ shell, were also prepared. Different characterization techniques indicated the hollow mesoporous and crystalline morphology of the prepared spheres with Au NPs. Hollow anatase spheres with Au NPs indicated enhanced harvesting of visible light and therefore demonstrated efficient catalytic activity toward the degradation of organic dyes under the irradiation of visible light as compared to bare TiO₂ spheres.     

Preparation of Porous Hollow SiO2 Spheres by a Modified St?ber Process Using MF Microspheres as Templates

Using the surface charged and acid dissolvable melamine formaldehyde (MF) microspheres as sacrificial hard templates, silica coated MF core?Cshell composite microspheres, denoted as MF@SiO₂, were synthesized via a surfactant-assisted sol?Cgel process by using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silica source. Hollow SiO₂ spheres with mesoporous shells were then obtained after selective removal of the MF cores and the pore directing surfactant by hydrochloric acid etching or calcinations in air. Interesting shrinkage phenomena were observed in both the hollow products derived from hydrochloric acid etching and calcinations. The influence of the ratio of MF sphere to TEOS and the removal method of the MF core on the size of the hollow spheres, the shell thickness and the shell surface roughness have been studied. The composition, the thermal stability, the morphology, the surface area and pore size distribution, the wall thickness and adsorption properties of the hollow spheres derived from hydrochloric acid etching and calcinations were also investigated and compared based on the FTIR, SEM, TEM, TGA, Nitrogen adsorption?Cdesorption and spectrophotometer techniques or measurements.     

Effect of pore expansion and amine functionalization of mesoporous silica on CO2 adsorption over a wide range of conditions

Adsorption of CO₂ was investigated over a wide range of conditions on a series of mesoporous silica adsorbents comprised of conventional MCM-41, pore-expanded MCM-41 silica (PE-MCM-41) and triamine surface-modified PE-MCM-41 (TRI-PE-MCM-41). The isosteric heat of adsorption, calculated from adsorption isotherms at different temperatures (298–328 K), showed a significant increase in CO₂–adsorbent interaction after amine functionnalization of PE-MCM-41, consistent with the high CO₂ uptake in the very low range of CO₂ concentration. The CO₂ adsorption isotherm and kinetics data showed the high potential of TRI-PE-MCM-41 material for CO₂ removal in gas purification and separation applications. With TRI-PE-MCM-41, the CO₂ selectivity over N₂ was drastically improved over a wide range of conditions compared to pure mesoporous silica. Moreover, the adsorption was reversible and fast, and the adsorbent was thermally stable and tolerant to moisture.     

Preparation of hollow silica microspheres with controlled shell thickness in supercritical fluids

This article presents a novel route to prepare hollow silica microspheres with well-defined wall thickness by using cross-linked polystyrene (PS) microspheres as templates with the assistance of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂). In this approach, the cross-linked PS templates can be firstly prepared via emulsifier-free polymerization method by using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate or divinylbenzene as cross-linkers. Then, the silica shell from the sol–gel process of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) which was penetrated into the PS template with the assistance of SC-CO₂ was obtained. Finally, the hollow silica spheres were generated after calcinations at 600 °C for 4 h. The shell thickness of the hollow silica spheres could be finely tuned not only by adjusting the TEOS/PS ratio, which is the most frequently used method, but also by changing the pressure and aging time of the SC-CO₂ treatment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize these hollow silica spheres.     

Preparation of hollow titania and strontium titanate spheres using sol–gel derived silica gel particles as templates

A facile approach, based on polyelectrolyte-mediated electrostatic adsorption of a water-soluble titanium complex on colloidal templates and hydrothermal treatment, is presented for the formation of hollow titania (TiO₂) and strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) spheres. Monodispersed silica gel particles were prepared by the sol?Cgel method and adopted as core templates. Deposition of a water-soluble titanium complex, titanium (IV) bis(ammoniumlactato)dihydroxide (TALH), on the silica gel particles was carried out via the layer-by-layer assembly technique. Hollow spheres were successfully formed from the core?Cshell particles. The silica gel particles used as core templates dissolved during hydrothermal treatment because of the particles?? undeveloped siloxane network. In addition, the hydrothermal treatment induced crystallization of the hollow shells. Therefore, the hydrothermal treatment played two roles; removal of the silica templates and crystallization of the hollow shells. When deionized water was used, hollow TiO₂ spheres were obtained. Hollow SrTiO₃ spheres could also be formed when an aqueous solution of Sr(OH)₂ was used. The approach presented here could be exploited as a novel and sustainable approach for the fabrication of a range of different inorganic hollow spheres.     

Facile H2O2 Hydrothermal Synthesis of Bimodal Mesoporous Silica MCM-48 Spheres

The ordered bimodal mesoporous silica MCM-48 spheres were facile synthesized by mild-temperature post-synthesis H₂O₂ hydrothermal treatment of as-synthesized MCM-48. The results showed that H₂O₂ is indispensable for simultaneously removing organic templates and forming ordered bimodal mesoporous silica MCM-48 spheres. The bimodal mesoporous MCM-48 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron micrographs, FT-IR, and N₂ adsorption-desorption, and a possible mechanism was proposed for the formation of bimodal mesoporous MCM-48.     

Gemini Surfactants Templated Mesoporous Silica Microparticles: from Solid to Hollow Mesoporous Spheres

We synthesized a series of mesoporous silica microparticles (MSs) using cationic gemini surfactants C_14–2‐n (n = 2, 6, 10, 14) as templates. The porous structures and pore size of these MSs can be tuned by varying the length of alkyl chain in gemini surfactant templates. These MSs showed effective doxorubicin (DOX) loading and a pH‐responsive drug release characteristics. These results indicate that the MSs, especially the hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles, have great potential for biomedical applications.     

Synthesis of morphology-controllable mesoporous Co3O4 and CeO2

Recently, extensive works have been devoted to the morphology control of mesoporous materials with respect to their use in various applications. In this paper, we used two kinds of mesoporous silica, SBA-15 rods and spheres as hard templates to synthesize morphology-controllable mesoporous metal oxides. By carefully controlling the loading of metal precursors in the mesopores of the hard template, mesoporous Co₃O₄ and CeO₂ with different morphologies, such as micrometer-sized rod, hollow sphere, saucer-like sphere, and solid sphere were conveniently obtained. The structural properties of these materials were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM and TEM. In addition, it is found that the differences observed in the textural properties of the two mesoporous metal oxides nanocasted from the same template can be attributed to the properties of metal precursors and the interaction between metal oxide and SiO₂. Thus-obtained mesoporous metal oxides with such special morphologies may have a potential application in the field of environmental catalytic oxidation.     

Microporous Silica Xerogel Membrane with High Selectivity and High Permeance for Carbon Dioxide Separation

The asymmetric microporous silica xerogel membrane was prepared by sol-gel method. A multi-layer (asymmetric) structure was obtained by silica xerogel layer on top of mesoporous silica layer (mean pore diameter of 4 nm), supported by porous alumina tube (mean pore diameter of 0.1 m). The ratio of the permeances, CO₂/N₂ for this membrane attained more than 60 at 298 K. This value is considerably higher than the theoretical Knudsen value (CO₂/N₂ = 0.8). The gas permeances of this membrane were about 5–10 times higher than the previous membrane. Application of the membrane to an enrichment of CO₂ from air was also investigated. CO₂ in the air (about 300 ppm) was concentrated to more than 1000 ppm by using the membrane at 298 K.     

Synthesis of SiO2/Y2O3:Eu core-shell materials and hollow spheres

The SiO₂/Y₂O₃:Eu core-shell materials and hollow spheres were first synthesized by a template-mediated method. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the broadened diffraction peaks result from nanocrystals of Y₂O₃:Eu shells and hollow spheres. X-ray photoelectron spectra showed that the Y₂O₃:Eu shells are linked with silica cores by Si-O-Y chemical bond. SEM and TEM observations showed that the size of SiO₂/Y₂O₃:Eu core-shell structure is in the range of 140-180 nm, and the thickness of Y₂O₃:Eu hollow spherical shell is about 20-40 nm. The photoluminescence spectra of SiO₂/Y₂O₃:Eu core-shell materials and Y₂O₃:Eu hollow spheres have better red luminescent properties, and the broadened emission bands came from the size effects of nanocrystals composed of Y₂O₃:Eu shell.     

Needle-like calcium carbonate assisted self-assembly of mesostructured hollow silica nanotubes

Mesostructured hollow silica nanotubes (MHSNTs) were successfully produced via the self-assembly of C₁₆TMABr and silica species on the surface of needle-like calcium carbonate nanoparticles in an alkaline medium at room temperature. The characterization of MHSNTs by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pore size distribution (PSD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) indicated that MHSNTs had uniform tubular hollow structures with big openings, a length of 1.5-2.0 μm, an inner diameter of 150-200 nm at the open end and 50-60 nm at the closed end, and a wall thickness of 20-30 nm, as well as a narrow PSD around 2.3 nm in the shells and a BET surface area as high as ∼975.3 m²/g. By small-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET and pore structure analysis, it was found that more uniformly structured mesopores could be formed by the method of removing the double templates simultaneously through a solvent extraction process, as compared to the separate removal of the double templates by calcinating and then etching in an acidic solution, and the amount of C₁₆TMABr affected the mesoporous structures of MHSNTs greatly. The formation processes of MHSNTs were also studied with XRD and FTIR.     

单分散SnO2中空微纳米球的制备和性质

模板法是制备无机中空微纳米球的重要方法之一. 本文以苯乙烯为单体, 通过乳液聚合得到粒径约为620 nm的单分散聚苯乙烯(PS)微球. 以磺化后的聚苯乙烯(PSS)微球为模板, 利用阴阳离子静电吸附作用, 将PSS与前驱体SnSO₄中的Sn²⁺结合. 通过Sn²⁺在乙醇-水介质中的水解作用得到核-壳复合结构, 再经高温煅烧, 得到SnO₂中空微纳米球. 实验对前驱体的浓度、表面活性剂的用量、反应时间及模板选择等方面做了研究,通过扫描电镜(SEM)、X 射线衍射(XRD)、红外(IR) 光谱、热重分析(TGA)、H₂ 程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)比表面积等技术深入探究SnO₂中空微纳米球的结构, 并对比中空SnO₂与实心粒子的氧化还原特性. BET和H₂-TPR显示将SnO₂制备成微纳米空心球后其比表面积增大, 表面氧空位明显增多, 氧化活性明显提高. 从IR 及XRD推断核-壳结构形成机理, 进而优化出简单合理的实验方案, 获得表面光滑、结构致密, 包覆厚度可控的SnO₂中空微纳米球.     

General and Facile Syntheses of Metal Silicate Porous Hollow Nanostructures

Porous hollow nanostructures have attracted intensive interest owing to their unique structure and promising applications in various fields. A facile hydrothermal synthesis has been developed to prepare porous hollow nanostructures of silicate materials through a sacrificial‐templating process. The key factors, such as the concentration of the free metal cation and the alkalinity of the solution, are discussed. Porous hollow nanostructures of magnesium silicate, nickel silicate, and iron silicate have been successfully prepared by using SiO₂ spheres as the template, as well as a silicon source. Several yolk–shell structures have also been fabricated by a similar process that uses silica‐coated composite particles as a template. As‐prepared mesoporous magnesium silicate hollow spheres showed an excellent ability to remove Pb²⁺ ions in water treatment owing to their large specific surface and unique structures.     

Sequestration of CO2 using Cu nanoparticles supported on spherical and rod-shape mesoporous silica

The CO₂ sequestration is one of the most promising solutions to tackle global warming. In this study, spherical mesoporous silica particles (MPS-S) and rod-shaped mesoporous silica particles (MPS-R) loaded with Cu nanoparticles were selectively prepared and employed for CO₂ adsorption. For the first time uniform Cu nanoparticles were incorporated into the rod-shaped mesoporous silica particles by post-synthesis modification using both N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (PEDA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) as coupling agents. The physiochemical properties of the mesoporous and copper grifted silica composites were investigated by CHN elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), surface area analysis, scanning, transmission electron microscopy and gas analysis system (GSD 320, TERMO). The mesoporous silica shows highly ordered mesoporous structures, with the rod-shaped particles having a higher surface area than the spherical ones. Copper nanoparticles with an average diameter of 6.0 nm were uniformly incorporated into the MPS-S and MPS-R. Moreover, Cu-loaded mesoporous silica exhibits up to 40% higher CO₂ adsorption capacity than the bare MPS. The MPS-R modified with Cu nanoparticles showed a maximum CO₂ adsorption capacity of 0.62 mmol/g and the humidity showed a slight negative effect on CO₂ uptake process. The enhancement of CO₂ adsorption onto transition metal/mesoporous substrates provides basis for imminent CO₂ sequestration.     

Novel sol–gel synthesis of N-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> hollow spheres with high photocatalytic activity under visible light

Novel ammonia and triethanolamine assisted sol–gel synthesis method was developed to fabricate the N-doped TiO₂ hollow spheres. The prepared hollow spheres were in submicron size and had good morphology and high specific surface area. Polystyrene (PS) latexes in size of 470 nm were used as the templates to fabricate PS/TiO₂ core–shell spheres. Here ammonia and triethanolamine was first employed together to control the sol–gel process. The N-doped TiO₂ hollow spheres were got after calcinations of the core–shell spheres by using triethanolamine as N source, and the amount of doped N could be easily adjusted by changing the amount of triethanolamine. The hollow spheres had distinct visible light response, and the optical response shifted more to the visible region as the amount of doped N increases. The photodegradation of methylene blue expressed the high photocatalytic activity of the N-doped TiO₂ hollow spheres under visible light.     

Preparation of a kind of mesoporous carbon and its performance in adsorptive desulfurization

Carbon materials were prepared using mesoporous silica HMS with different pore sizes as the hard templates and water-soluble phenolic resin as the carbon source. The obtained materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and N₂ physical adsorption, and were used in adsorptive desulfurization. It has been shown that the carbon material prepared using HMS with larger pore size (>3 nm) presented uniform wormlike mesopore of 2.3 nm and large BET surface area (1903 m²/g). The mesoporous carbon was an excellent adsorbent to remove the refractory sulfur compound in diesel, especially dibenzothiophene and 4, 6-dimethyldibenzothiophene.     

微观形貌可控TiO2的制备及其光解水产氢性能

通过简单的沉淀、水热、溶剂热和溶胶凝胶法分别制备出实心球(s-TiO_2)、空心球(h-TiO_2)、纳米管(a-TNT)和介孔形状(mTiO_2)的锐钛矿晶型结构TiO_2光催化材料。采用HRTEM、FESEM、XRD、UV-Vis、N2吸-脱附和光解水制氢反应等对催化材料的微观表面结构、光吸收性能以及不同形貌光催化剂的光解水制氢的性能对比研究。结果表明:s-TiO_2具有最高的光催化活性,主要归功于s-TiO_2独特的微观形貌结构所致,s-TiO_2是由亚微晶颗粒组成的介孔状实心球,亚微晶粒径相比较其它形貌的材料要小,有利于光生载流子的迁移,抑制电子-空穴对的体相复合,导致活性提高。同时,晶化过程用于传质通道的无序微孔可以束缚用作牺牲剂的CH3OH分子,使得空穴快速被牺牲剂消耗,减少与电子复合。