Synthesis, Characteristics and Evaluation of a New Monolithic Silica Column Prepared from Copolymer Pluronic F127

Monolithic silica columns were prepared via a sol–gel process using tri-block copolymer Pluronic F127 as structure-directing reagent. In this reaction, F127 induced phase separation but also acted as a template leading to a continuous structure of silica skeletons and textural pores as well as the formation of mesopores. The morphology of the monolithic materials was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The capability of separation and loading on this column were demonstrated. Phosphatidylcholine was separated from soy lecithin, demonstrating fast and efficient performance when the column was used for normal phase liquid chromatography.     

Formation of Hierarchical Pore Structure in Silica Gel

By inducing a phase separation parallel to the sol-gel transition of alkoxy-derived silicate systems, gels with well-defined macroporous structure can be prepared. Depending on the post-gelation treatment such as aging and solvent exchange, the final pore structure in the nanometer range of dried and heat-treated gels exhibits a considerable variation. With an aim of completely controlling the hierarchical pore structure in the discrete size ranges of nanometers and micrometers, systematic experimental studies have been performed. The macroporous nature of the wet gels allows an efficient solvent exchange process compared with conventional gels only with mesopores. In addition, the surface chemistry of the wet gel skeleton affects the mesopore formation process by the solvent exchange to a great extent. The median size of mesopores larger than 5 nm can be controlled by adjusting the basic solvent exchange conditions such as pH value, temperature and bath ratio for any kind of macroporous silica gel. On the other hand, the control of pore volume independent of the mesopore size is possible only in the system incorporated with the micelle-forming surfactant. Some examples of the effects of controlled mesopores on the analytical performance of monolithic-type chromatographic columns are also presented.     

Sol–gel synthesis of macro–mesoporous titania monoliths and their applications to chromatographic separation media for organophosphate compounds

We have developed a method of independently tailoring the macro- and mesoporous structures in titania (TiO₂) monoliths in order to achieve liquid chromatographic separations of phosphorous-containing compounds. Anatase TiO₂ monolithic gels with well-defined bicontinuous macropores and microstructured skeletons are obtained via the sol–gel process in strongly acidic conditions using poly(ethylene oxide) as a phase separator and N-methylformamide as a proton scavenger. Aging treatment of the wet gels in the mother liquor at temperatures of 100–200 °C and subsequent heat treatment at 400 °C allow the formation and control of mesoporous structures with uniform pore size distributions in the gel skeletons, without disturbing the preformed macroporous morphology. The monolithic TiO₂ rod columns with bimodal macro–mesoporous structures possess the phospho-sensitivity and exhibit excellent chromatographic separations of phosphorus-containing compounds.     

Liquid-phase synthesis and application of monolithic porous materials based on organic–inorganic hybrid methylsiloxanes, crosslinked polymers and carbons

Our recent progress in porous materials based on organic–inorganic hybrids, organic crosslinked polymers, and carbons is summarized. Flexible aerogels and aerogel-like xerogels with the polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) composition are obtained using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as the sole precursor. Preparation process and the flexible mechanical properties of these aerogels/xerogels are overviewed. As the derivative materials, hierarchically macro- and mesoporous PMSQ monoliths and marshmallow-like soft and bendable porous monoliths prepared from dimethyldimethoxysilane /MTMS co-precursors have been obtained. Organic crosslinked polymer monoliths with well-defined macropores are also tailored using gelling systems of vinyl monomers under controlled/living radical polymerization. The obtained polymer monoliths are carbonized and activated into activated carbon monoliths with well-defined pore properties. The activated carbon monoliths exhibit good electrochemical properties as the monolithic electrode. Some possibilities of applications for these porous materials are also discussed.     

Principles of hierarchical meso- and macropore architectures by liquid crystalline and polymer colloid templating

The generation of porous silica with hierarchically organized bimodal mesoporosity of adjustable size and well-defined shape was investigated by using surfactant mixtures and the nanocasting procedure (liquid crystalline templating). A systematic study of combinations of various block copolymers (Pluronics F127, KLE (poly(omega-hydroxypoly(ethylene-co-butylene)-co-poly(ethylene oxide))) and SE (PS-co-PEO)) with smaller surfactants (Pluronics P123, C16mimCl, and CTAB) revealed that hierarchical bimodal mesopore architectures could only be obtained by the usage of block copolymers with a strong hydrophilic-hydrophobic contrast, such as KLE and SE, giving rise to pores between 6 and 22 nm. Furthermore, the ionic liquid (IL) C16mimCl appeared to have advantageous templating properties, resulting in 2-3-nm pores being located between the block copolymer mesopores, whereas phase separation was observed for Pluronics and CTAB as small templates. Thereby, the study provided also general insights into the mixing and co-self-assembly behavior of block copolymers and ionic surfactants in water and confirmed the special templating properties of ILs, as recently proposed. In addition to the bimodal mesoporosity, additional tunable macroporosity was created by the presence of poly(styrene) or poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres, leading to well-defined trimodal hierarchical pore architectures with the small pores being located in the walls of the respective larger pores. As a major improvement, due to the pore hierarchy, these large-pore materials showed relatively large surface areas and pore volumes, and the size of densely packed macropores could even be decreased down to 90 nm. The materials were characterized by electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and nitrogen sorption using a proper NLDFT (nonlocal density functional theory) approach for calculations of the pore size distribution in the entire range of micro- and mesopores.     

SiO2阶层多孔结构搭建及块体材料制备机理

借助溶胶-凝胶结合相分离和模板法进行了阶层多孔结构的搭建及二氧化硅多孔块体材料的制备,表征了阶层多孔块体的显微结构及孔结构特性,分析了阶层多孔结构的搭建机理。研究结果表明,三嵌段共聚物聚环氧乙烷-聚环氧丙烷-聚环氧乙烷（P123）的加入不仅诱导共混体系发生相分离,调控大孔结构的形成,同时形成球形胶束并作为模板剂进入骨架,而1,3,5-三甲基苯（TMB）的加入使P123形成的胶束膨胀且更加稳定,在骨架上成功引入了球形介孔,骨架中凝胶粒子相互聚集形成微孔,从而搭建贯通大孔-球形介孔-微孔同时分布的阶层多孔结构,并获得相应的多孔块体材料;当正硅酸甲酯（TMOS）：P123：TMB摩尔比为1：0.015：0.353时,多孔块体材料的阶层多孔结构最优,大孔孔径为0.5-1.5 μm,介孔孔径为3-4 nm,显气孔率66.1%,比表面积为616 m²·g^-1。     

Supramolecular Templating of Mesopores in Phase-Separating Silica Sol-Gels Incorporated with Cationic Surfactant

Silica gels with hierarchical macropores and mesopores have been prepared by inducing phase separation in the alkoxide-based sol-gel system with an addition of alkyltrimethylammonium salt. Narrowly distributed mesopores were observed in the heat-treated gel samples possibly as a result of supramolecular templating of silica oligomers in the reacting solution. The ionic attractive interaction and hydrophobicity of the attached alkyl group cooperatively determined the phase separation tendency. No indication of long-range order of the mesopores was obtained.     

Controlled pore formation in organotrialkoxysilane-derived hybrids: from aerogels to hierarchically porous monoliths

Porous polysilsesquioxane gels derived from sol-gel systems based on trifunctional silanes are reviewed. Although it is well known that trifunctional silanes possess inherent difficulties in forming homogeneous gels, increasing attention is being paid on these precursors and resultant porous polysilsesquioxanes because of hydrophobicity, functionality, and versatile mechanical properties. Much effort has been made to overcome the difficulties for homogeneous gelation, and a number of excellent porous materials with various pore properties have been explored. In this critical review, we put special emphasis on the formation of a well-defined macroporous structure by making use of phase separation, which in turn is a serious problem in obtaining homogeneous gels though. Porous polysilsesquioxane monoliths with the hierarchical structure and transparent aerogels with high mechanical durability are particularly highlighted (169 references).     

Comprehensive pore structure characterization of silica monoliths with controlled mesopore size and macropore size by nitrogen sorption, mercury porosimetry, transmission electron microscopy and inverse size exclusion chromatography

The porosity of monolithic silica columns is measured by using different analytical methods. Two sets of monoliths were prepared with a given mesopore diameter of 10 and 25 nm, respectively and with gradated macropore diameters between 1.8 and 7.5 microm. After preparing the two sets of monolithic silica columns with different macro- and mesopores the internal, external and total porosity of these columns are determined by inverse size-exclusion chromatography (ISEC) using polystyrene samples of narrow molecular size distribution and known average molecular weight. The ISEC data from the 4.6 mm analytical monolithic silica columns are used to determine the structural properties of monolithic silica capillaries (100 microm I.D.) prepared as a third set of samples. The ISEC results illustrate a multimodal mesopore structure (mesopores are pores with stagnant zones) of the monoliths. It is found by ISEC that the ratio of the different types of pores is dependent on the change in diameter of the macropores (serve as flow-through pores). The porosity data achieved from the mercury penetration measurement and nitrogen adsorption as well of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) pictures are correlated with the results we calculated from the ISEC measurements. The ISEC results, namely the multimodal pore structure of the monoliths, reported in several publications, are not confirmed analyzing the pore structures of the different silica monoliths using all other analytical methods.     

Hierarchically imprinted porous films for rapid and selective detection of explosives

On the basis of the combination of colloidal and mesophase templating, as well as molecular imprinting, a general and effective approach for the preparation of hierarchically structured trimodal porous silica films was developed. With this new methodology, controlled formation of well-defined pore structures not only on macro- and mesoscale but also on microscale can be achieved, affording a new class of hierarchical porous materials with molecular recognition capability. As a demonstration, TNT was chosen as template molecule and hierarchically imprinted porous films were successfully fabricated, which show excellent sensing properties in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and regeneracy. The pore system reported here combines the multiple benefits arising from all length scales of pore size and simultaneously possesses a series of distinct properties such as high pore volume, large surface area, molecular selectivity, and rapid mass transport. Therefore, our described strategy and the resulting pore systems should hold great promise for various applications not only in chemical sensors, but also in catalysis, separation, adsorption, or electrode materials.     

Effect of Pluronic F127 on the pore structure of macrocellular biodegradable polylactide foams

Thermally induced phase separation technique was utilized to fabricate biodegradable poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) macrocellular foams which were capable of being applied in tissue engineering. The block copolymer Pluronic F127 composed of (polyethyleneoxide)‐(polypropyleneoxide)‐(polyethyleneoxide) [(PEO)‐(PPO)‐(PEO)] was used as a porogen. Water/dioxane mixtures with different volume ratios were used as solvents. The addition of Pluronic F127 could induce an appearance of large pores (50–200 μm) besides small pores (10–20 μm) or a change from a solid–liquid phase separation to a liquid–liquid phase separation. The role of Pluronic F127 depends on the water/dioxane ratios in the PLLA/dioxane/water system. The X‐ray diffraction patterns and porosity measurement results showed that Pluronic F127 was crystallized and existed on the pore wall. The effect of Pluronic F127 on changing pore structure is attributed to the occurrence of the interaction of the lipophilic PPO blocks in Pluronic F127 with PLLA clews, consequently, this results in PLLA aggregation and early phase separation on cooling. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural characterization of hierarchically porous alumina aerogel and xerogel monoliths

Detailed nanostructures have been investigated for hierarchically porous alumina aerogels and xerogels prepared from ionic precursors via sol–gel reaction. Starting from AlCl₃·6H₂O and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) dissolved in a H₂O/EtOH mixed solvent, monolithic wet gels were synthesized using propylene oxide (PO) as a gelation initiator. Hierarchically porous alumina xerogels and aerogels were obtained after evaporative drying and supercritical drying, respectively. Macroporous structures are formed as a result of phase separation, while interstices between the secondary particles in the micrometer-sized gel skeletons work as mesoporous structures. Alumina xerogels exhibit considerable shrinkage during the evaporative drying process, resulting in relatively small mesopores (from 5.4 to 6.2 nm) regardless of the starting composition. For shrinkage-free alumina aerogels, on the other hand, the median mesopore size changes from 13.9 to 33.1 nm depending on the starting composition; the increases in PEO content and H₂O/EtOH volume ratio both contribute to producing smaller mesopores. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis reveals that variation of median mesopore size can be ascribed to the change in agglomeration state of primary particles. As PEO content and H₂O/EtOH ratio increase, secondary particles become small, which results in relatively small mesopores. The results indicate that the agglomeration state of alumina primary particles is influenced by the presence of weakly interacting phase separation inducers such as PEO.     

Glycol-modified organosilanes in the synthesis of inorganic-organic silsesquioxane and silica monoliths

Highly porous inorganic-organic hybrid monoliths with mesopores in a macroporous network have been prepared from tris-(2-hydroxyethoxy)methylsilane (MeGMS), tris-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenylsilane (PhGMS), 1,2-bis[tris-(2-hydroxyethoxy)silyl]ethane (bEtGMS) and 1,4-bis[tris-(2-hydroxyethoxy)silyl]benzene (bPhGMS) with or without the presence of tetrakis(2-hydroxyeth-oxy)silane (EGMS) and a structure-directing agent (P123). These glycol-modified organosilanes do not only offer the possibility to access monolithic gels with a high degree of substitution with organic groups (up to 100% of the Si-atoms) under very mild pH conditions, but also to form hierarchically organized gels exhibiting meso- as well as macropores. The amount of organosilane has been varied from 0 to 100% with respect to EGMS. The wet gels have been dried by supercritical extraction with carbon dioxide. In the present work, the sol-gel behaviour of these glycol-modified organosilanes is discussed with special emphasis on gels prepared in the presence of a block copolymeric surfactant acting as phase separation agent. The consequences on the formation of the meso- and macrostructure due to the presence of the glycol and the organic groups are presented. The structural features of the gels are investigated by various analytical techniques such as small angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen sorption, and scanning electron microscopy.     

Preparation of Hierarchical Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles through a Single‐Templating Approach

Silicas with hierarchical porous architectures attracted much attention, due to their potential applications in catalysis and separation. Generally, they were prepared through dual‐ or triple‐templating approaches. Herein, mesoporous silica nanoparticles with rod‐like pore channels inside and lamellar mesopores on the surfaces were prepared using the self‐assemblies of a chiral low‐molecular‐weight amphiphile as templates through a single‐templating approach. The formation of the lamellar mesopores was studied by taking field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images after different reaction times. The lamellar pores were proposed to be formed by merging rod‐like micelles during the sol‐gel process. Moreover, helical nanofibers with rod‐like pore channels inside and lamellar mesopores on the surfaces were prepared with the addition of n‐octanol as a co‐structure‐directing agent.     

Rapid and efficient chiral separation of nateglinide and its L-enantiomer on monolithic molecularly imprinted polymers

A monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer (monolithic MIP) was designed and prepared for chiral separation of nateglinide and its L-enantiomer. The enantiomers were rapidly separated on this novel monolithic MIP based chiral stationary phase (MIP-CSP), whereas the enantioseparation was not obtained on the non-imprinted polymer (NIP). Chiral recognition was found to be dependent on the stereo structures and the arrangement of functional groups of the imprinted molecule and the cavities on MIP. Thermodynamic data (deltadeltaH and deltadeltaS) obtained by Van't Hoff plots revealed an enthalpy-controlled enantioseparation. The binding capacity was evaluated by frontal analysis. Monolithic nateglinide-MIP had an effective number of binding sites Bt = 41.15 micromol g(-1) with a dissociation constant of Kd = 7.40 mM. The morphological characteristics of the monolithic MIP were investigated by pore analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that both mesopores and macropores were formed in the monolith. Over all, this study presents a new and practical possibility for providing high rates of mass transfer, fast separations and high efficiencies without the pressure constraints of the traditional bulk molecularly imprinted polymers, through the monolithic MIPs.     

Characterization of polymer monolithic stationary phases for capillary HPLC

Monolithic capillary columns have been prepared in fused‐silica capillaries by radical co‐polymerization of ethylene dimethacrylate and butyl methacrylate in the presence of porogen solvent mixtures containing various concentration ratios of 1‐propanol, 1,4‐butanediol, and water with azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator of the polymerization reaction. The through pores in organic polymer monolithic columns can be characterized by “equivalent permeability particle size”, and the mesopores with stagnant mobile phase by “equivalent dispersion particle size”. Increasing the concentration of propanol in the polymerization mixture diminishes the pore volume and size in the monolithic media and improves the column efficiency, at a cost of decreasing permeability. Organic polymer monolithic capillary columns show similar retention behaviour to packed alkyl silica columns for compounds with different polarities characterized by interaction indices, I_x, but have different methylene selectivities. Higher concentrations of propanol in the polymerization mixture increase the lipophilic character of the monolithic stationary phases. Best efficiencies and separation selectivities were found for monolithic columns prepared using 62–64% propanol in the porogen solvent mixture. To allow accurate characterization of the properties of capillary monolithic columns, the experimental data should be corrected for extra‐column contributions.     

Structure Design of Double-Pore Silica and Its Application to HPLC

Utilizing the concurrence of polymerization-induced phase separation and sol-gel transition in the hydrolytic polycondensation of alkoxysilanes, a well-defined macroporous structure is formed in a monolithic wet gel. By exchanging the fluid phase of the wet gel with an appropriate external solution, the nanometer-range structure of the wet gel can be reorganized into structures with larger median pore size essentially without affecting the macroporous framework. The double-pore structure thus prepared is characterized by open pores distributed in discrete size ranges of micrometers and nanometers. A new type of chromatographic column (silica rod) has been developed using monolithic double-pore silica instead of packed spherical gel particles. Typical silica rod columns had significantly reduced pressure drops and improved analytical efficiencies which do not deteriorate even at higher sample flow rates, both arising from a greater macropore volume than particle packed columns.     

Construction of a hierarchical architecture in a wormhole-like mesostructure for enhanced mass transport

A unique hierarchical architecture is successfully constructed in a wormhole-like mesopore structure via a multiple nanocasting route. This novel type of hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) consists of three-dimensional ordered macropores (ca. 150 nm) with interconnecting pore windows, and the walls of these macropores are rich in wormhole-like mesopores (ca. 2.7 nm) and large spherical mesopores (ca. 10 nm), as well as a significant microporosity, presenting a macro-meso-microporous structure with a three-dimensional interconnectivity. Such a hierarchically porous structure may provide fine diffusion pathways for reaction species, which is demonstrated by the experimental result of an enhanced performance in a supercapacitor. For example, with the introduction of a hierarchical porous structure for fast transport and effective access of ions, the as-prepared HPC exhibits a specific capacitance as high as 247 F g(-1), whereas traditional wormhole-like mesoporous carbon has only a specific capacitance of 176 F g(-1).     

Hierarchical porous silica materials with a trimodal pore system using surfactant templates

Porous silica exhibiting a hierarchically ordered trimodal pore system with a well-defined reverse opal microstructure and bimodal mesoporosity in the walls has been prepared by using polystyrene latex spheres, a novel block copolymer and an ionic liquid surfactant as templates. The resulting materials exhibit hierarchical order at three length scales (small mesopores: 2-3 nm; large mesopores: 11-12 nm; macropores: 360 nm).     

Templating multiple length scales by combining phase separation, self-assembly and photopatterning in porous films

Patternable nanoporous silica thin films with pore sizes on multiple length scales are fabricated using preformed block copolymer/homopolymer blend films as templates. Previous work by Tirumala et al. [V.R. Tirumala, R.A. Pai, S. Agarwal, J.J. Testa, G. Bhatnagar, A.H. Romang, C. Chandler, B.P. Gorman, R.L. Jones, E.K. Lin, J.J. Watkins, Adv. Mater. 18 (8) (2008) 1603] has demonstrated that hydrogen bonding between an amphiphilic copolymer and a homopolymer leads to significant enhancements in the long range order of the template self assembly. However if the copolymer template is simply changed from Pluronic F127 to Brij78, a well ordered template is no longer always obtained; the blend phase separates with apparent selective partitioning of the photoacid generator (PAG) at the interface of the polymer phases. UV exposure selectively generates a photoacid, which is utilized to catalyze tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) condensation. The large disparity in diffusivity of the photoacid between the glassy poly(hydroxystyrene) (PHOSt) and rubbery Brij78 phases results in selective templating of the Brij mesostructure and limited reaction into the PHOSt. Calcination yields relatively monodisperse mesopores from the Brij phase and macropores from the PHOSt phase. Simple variations in processing parameters allow the macropore morphology to be tuned to create high surface area materials with structures on the order of 1 nm, 100 nm and microms from self assembly, phase separation and lithographic patterning respectively.