Adsorption and wetting characterization of hydrophobic SBA-15 silicas

This work describes adsorption and wetting characterization of hydrophobic ordered mesoporous silicas (OMSs) with the SBA-15 motif. Three synthetic approaches to prepare hydrophobic SBA-15 silicas were explored: grafting with (1) covalently-attached monolayers (CAMs) of C(n)H(2)(n+1)Si(CH(3))(2)N(CH(3))(2), (2) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of C(n)H(2)(n+1)Si(OEt)(3), and (3) direct ("one-pot") co-condensation of TEOS with C(n)H(2)(n+1)Si(OEt)(3) in presence of P123 (n=1-18). The materials prepared were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, TEM, and chemical analysis. The surface properties of the materials were assessed by water contact angles (CAs) and by BET C constants. The results showed that, while loadings of the alkyl groups (%C) were comparable, the surface properties and pore ordering of the materials prepared through different methods were quite different. The best quality hydrophobic surfaces were prepared for SBA-15 grafted with CAMs of alkylsilanes. For these materials, the water CAs were above ～120°/100° (adv/rec) and BET C constants were in the range of ～15-25, indicating uniform low-energy surfaces of closely packed alkyl groups on external and internal surfaces of the pores respectively. Moreover, surfaces grafted with the long-chained (C(12)-C(18)) silanes showed super-hydrophobic behavior (CAs～150-180°) and extremely low adhesion for water. The pore uniformity of parental SBA-15 was largely preserved and the pore volume and pore diameter were consistent with the formation of a single layer of alkylsilyl groups inside the pores. Post-synthesis grafting of SBA-15 with SAMs worked not as well as CAMs: the surfaces prepared demonstrated lower water CAs and higher BET C constants, thereby indicating a small amount of accessible polar groups (Si-OH) related to packing constrains for SAMs supported on highly curved surfaces of mesopores. The co-condensation method produced substantially more disordered materials and less hydrophobic surfaces than any of the grafting methods. The surfaces of these materials showed low water CAs and high BET C constants (～100-200) thereby demonstrating a non-uniform surface coverage and presence of unmodified silica. It is concluded that CAMs chemistry is the most efficient approach in preparation of the functionalized OMS materials with uniform surfaces and pores.     

Pore-expanded SBA-15 sulfonic acid silicas for biodiesel synthesis

Here we present the first application of pore-expanded SBA-15 in heterogeneous catalysis. Pore expansion over the range 6-14 nm confers a striking activity enhancement towards fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) synthesis from triglycerides (TAG), and free fatty acid (FFA), attributed to improved mass transport and acid site accessibility.     

Modification of MCM-41 and SBA-15 mesoporous silicas by imidazolium ionic liquids

MCM-41 and SBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves are modified with imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) via both physical adsorption and covalent grafting. The considerable effect of IL grafting on the porous structure and the particle morphology of mesoporous supports is shown. The pore size of these supports is found to be a key parameter determining the possibility of loading IL into such support materials.     

Gas adsorption in mesoporous micelle-templated silicas: MCM-41, MCM-48, and SBA-15

This paper reports a molecular simulation and experimental study on the adsorption and condensation of simple fluids in mesoporous micelle-templated silicas MCM-41, MCM-48, and SBA-15. MCM-41 is described as a regular cylindrical silica nanopore, while SBA-15 is assumed to be made up of cylindrical nanopores that are connected through lateral channels. The 3D-connected topology of MCM-48 is described using a gyroid periodic minimal surface. Argon adsorption at 77 K is calculated for the three materials using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Qualitative comparison with experiments for nitrogen adsorption in mesoporous micelle-templated silicas is made. The adsorption isotherm for SBA-15 resembles that for MCM-41. In particular, capillary condensation and evaporation are not affected by the presence of the connecting lateral channels. In contrast, the argon adsorption isotherm for MCM-48 departs from that for MCM-41 having the same pore size. While condensation in MCM-41 is a one-step process, filling of MCM-48 involves two successive jumps in the adsorbed amounts which correspond to condensation in different domains of the porosity. The condensation pressure for MCM-48 is larger than that for MCM-41. We attribute this result to the morphology of the MCM-48 surface (made up of both concave and convex regions) that differs from that for MCM-41 (concave only). Our results suggest that the pore connectivity affects pore filling when the size of the connections is comparable to that of the nanopores.     

Adsorption of cesium on mesoporous SBA-15 material containing embedded copper hexacyanoferrate

In this research, the copper hexacyanoferrate/SBA-15 composite was prepared by embedding method, which was further characterized using scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The effects of different factors such as pH, temperature, contact time, initial cesium concentration on adsorption were studied. The pH significantly influenced the adsorption. The pseudo second-order kinetic model fitted the adsorption well, indicating chemisorption. The Langmuir isotherm proved that the adsorption happened on monolayer and the maximum adsorption capacity was determined as 0.123 mmol/g. The result showed that CHCF/SBA-15 could be directly used to adsorb cesium from aqueous solution.

     

"Nanocasting": using SBA-15 silicas as hard templates to obtain ultrasmall monodispersed gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles

This work describes the use of mesoporous SBA-15 silicas as hard templates for the size-controlled synthesis of oxide nanoparticles, with the pores acting as nanoscale reactors. This fundamental work is mainly aimed at understanding unresolved issues concerning the occurrence and size dependence of phase transitions in oxide nanocrystals. Aqueous solutions of Fe(NO3)3*9H2O are deposited inside the pores of SBA-15 silicas with mesopore diameters of 4.3, 6.6, and 9.5 nm. By calcination, the nitrate salt transforms into FeOx oxides. The XRD peaks of nanocrystals are broad and overlapping, resulting in ambiguities attributed to a given allotropic variety of Fe2O3 (alpha, epsilon, or gamma) or Fe3O4. The association of XRD, SAED, and Raman information is necessary to solve these ambiguities. The metastable gamma-Fe2O3 variety is selectively formed at low Fe/Si atomic ratio (ca. 0.20) and when a low calcination temperature is used (773 or 873 K followed by quenching to room temperature once the targeted temperature is reached). The small size dispersion of the patterned nanoparticles, suggested on a local scale by TEM, is confirmed statistically by magnetic measurements. The nanoparticles have a superparamagnetic behavior around room temperature. Their magnetic moments (from 220 to 370 mB), their sizes (from 4.0 to 4.8 nm), and their blocking temperatures (from 36 to 58 K) increase with the silica template mesopore diameter. Their magnetic properties are compared to those of standard gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles of similar size, obtained by coprecipitation in water and stabilized by a citrate coating.     

Mechanism of freezing of water in contact with mesoporous silicas MCM-41, SBA-15 and SBA-16: role of boundary water of pore outlets in freezing

The freezing mechanism of water contacted with mesoporous silicas with uniform pore shapes, both cylindrical and cagelike, was studied by thermodynamic and structural analyses with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) together with adsorption measurements. In the DSC data extra exothermic peaks were found at around 230 K for water confined in SBA-15, in addition to that due to the freezing of pore water. These peaks are most likely to be ascribed to the freezing of water present over the micropore and/or mesopore outlets of coronas in SBA-15. Freezing of water confined in SBA-16 was systematically analysed by DSC with changing the pore size. The freezing temperature was found to be around 232 K, close to the homogeneous nucleation temperature of bulk water, independent of the pore size when the pore diameter (d) < 7.0 nm. Water confined in the cagelike pores of SBA-16 is probably surrounded by a water layer (boundary water) at the outlets of channels to interconnect the pores and of fine corona-like pores, which is similar to that present at the outlet of cylindrical pores in MCM-41 and of cylindrical channels in SBA-15. The presence of the boundary water would be a key for water in SBA-16 to freeze at the homogeneous nucleation temperature. This phenomenon is similar to those well known for water droplets in oil and water droplets of clouds in the sky. The XRD data showed that the cubic ice I(c) was formed in SBA-16 as previously found in SBA-15 when d < 8.0 nm.     

Single-step preparation and catalytic activity of mesoporous MCM-41 and SBA-15 silicas functionalized with perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid groups analogous to Nafion

Preparation of hybrid organic-inorganic MCM-41 and SBA-15 silicas functionalized with perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid groups has been achieved in a single step by reacting the mesoporous silicas with 1,2,2-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-1-trifluoromethylethane sulfonic acid beta-sultone; the catalysts showed higher activity than commercial Nafion-silica composite for the esterification of long chain fatty acids with ethanol.     

Effect of surface acidity and pore size of Al-substituted plugs-containing SBA-15 and MCM-41 silicas on the polymerization of THF

We reported here the simultaneous influence of surface acidity and pore size of Al-substituted hexagonal mesoporous silicas(Al-doped plugs-containing SBA-15 and Al-doped MCM-41) on polymerization of THF.These materials were directly synthesized by introduced aluminum isopropoxide into reaction mixture including surfactant and siliceous precursor.Al-doped plugs-containing SBA-15(denotes as PAS) samples not only possess typical two-step desorption isotherms,which implied PAS materials generated plugs in their mesochannel,but also exhibit larger pore size and thicker wall than that of Al-doped MCM-41(denotes as ACM), which implied PAS would have a great advantage on catalytic reaction involving large molecular(e.g.polymer of THF) in industrial point of view.To investigate catalytic activity of PAS and ACM with moderate acidic sites the polymerization of THF in the presence of acetic anhydride was carried out.The results showed PAS exhibiting good performance on polymerization of THF.Such result could be related to the large pore size and moderate acidic sites.     

Structure sensitivity of vibrational spectra of mesoporous silica SBA-15 and Pt/SBA-15

The vibrational properties of mesoporous silica (SBA-15) were investigated by deep ultraviolet (UV) Raman and infrared spectroscopies with and without the presence of platinum nanoparticles in the mesopores that were incorporated by sonication. Raman and IR spectral line assignments were made by comparison to amorphous silicas. This procedure permitted identification of vibrations of longitudinal (LO) and transverse (TO) optical lattice modes, the presence of Si-OH, and vibrational modes associated with the presence of three-, four-, and six-membered siloxane rings. Hydraulic pressing of the mesoporous silica with pressure in the range 3-7 tons cm(-2) destroys the X-ray diffraction pattern and strongly decreases the Raman peak (D2) associated with three-membered rings at the surface. In the presence of platinum nanoparticles in the silica mesopores, a peak attributed to a Pt-O stretching vibration appears at between 530 and 580 cm(-1) in the UV-Raman spectrum, which can be used to monitor the presence of the platinum particles and their interaction with the support. The D2 feature in the UV-Raman spectra also decreases with increasing Pt loading, which is attributed to interactions of the Pt nanoparticles with the silica surface.     

Strategic synthesis of SBA-15 nanorods

A simple synthesis of homogeneously sized, ordered mesoporous silica nanorods (SBA-15), spanning about 10 porous channels in width and ranging from 300 to 600 nm in length is reported.     

Physicochemical properties of Ti-grafted SBA-15

Partial oxidation of n-heptane to syngas at 400–450°C was investigated over Rh and Rh-Ni based catalysts. The Rh/-Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited much better catalytic activity than the Rh-Ni/-Al₂O₃ catalyst. A combination of the Rh-based catalyst with the WGS reaction catalyst (Fe₃O₄—Cr₂O₃) increases the hydrogen selectivity but has no distinct effect on shifting the balance of the partial oxidation of n-heptane.This revised version was published online in December 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and characterization of SBA-3, SBA-15, and SBA-1 nanostructured catalytic materials

A highly ordered large pore mesoporous silica molecular sieve SBA-3, SBA-15, Al-SBA-15, and SBA-1, were developed and characterized by XRD, BET, FTIR, SEM, and NMR-MAS. The catalytic materials were synthesized using different raw materials and operation conditions. These materials contain a regular arrangement of uniform channels with diameters between 1.8 and 10 nm, high specific surface area and high specific pore volume. The designed methods were effective for the synthesis, presenting each mesostructured materials, patterns of XRD and other characteristics corresponding to the reported ones in literature. The new route employed to synthesize Al-SBA-15, generates a catalyst with only aluminum in tetrahedral form, according to the data of (27)Al NMR-MAS. However, several reports indicated that the coordination of the Al atoms changes below the Si/Al ratio of 45, presenting peaks corresponding to penta and hexa-coordinated aluminum, which are absent in our samples (Si/Al = 50 and 33).     

A 3D-TEM study of the shape of mesopores in SBA-15 and modified SBA-15 materials

The mesopores in SBA-15 are curved on a mesoscopic length scale and even more so in the case of modified SBA-15, which implies that using the particle size of these types of materials in diffusion studies may strongly underestimate the path length relevant for intraparticle diffusion.     

Macrocyclic receptors containing sucrose skeleton

Crown ether analogues with incorporated sucrose unit were prepared by reaction of 1′,2,3,3′,4,4′-hexa-O-benzylsucrose with polyethylene ditosylates in up to 52% yield. Stability constants of their complexes with Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺ were determined by the NMR titration method. The macrocycles were also tested as catalysts in the enantioselective Michael reaction, but with little success (ee up to only 22%). The macrocycle containing nitrogen in the ring was also prepared in good yield. All prepared macrocycles were easily converted into the free sucrose crowns (H₂/Pd/C) without destroying the (very labile) glycosidic bond. The crystal structure of the selected receptor was determined.     

Properties of solvent based polyurethane adhesives containing fumed silicas

Five hydrophilic and two hydrophobic fumed silicas of different surface area and particle size were added to solvent based polyurethane adhesives. Silica addition produced a noticeable increase in the adhesive viscosity, imparted negative thixotropy, increased the storage modulus (G') and improved the green adhesion of chlorinated rubber/PU adhesive/chlorinated rubber joints. Those modifications were more pronounced in the adhesives which contain hydrophilic silicas.     

Sonosynthesis of spiroindolines using functionalized SBA-15

Functionalized SBA-15 (immobilization of Pd on the modified SBA-15) has been used as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of spiroindolines by multi-component reactions of isatins, cyclic-1,3-diketones, and 6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil under ultrasonic irradiation in water. The catalyst has been characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), N₂ adsorption analysis, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The advantages of this method include the reusability of the catalyst, low catalyst loading, excellent yields in short reaction times and easy separation of products, and use of ultrasonic irradiation as a valuable and powerful technology.

     

Synthesis monitoring of SBA-15 nanostructured materials

The SBA-15 materials were synthesized by the hydrothermal method using tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica source and P123 as template agent. The synthesis process was accomplished varying the time during the hydrothermal processing. For the synthesis monitoring, a small amount of sample was removed at different times, and analyzed by thermal analysis in order to determine the temperature ranges related to water desorption, template decomposition and silanol condensation for the SBA-15 nanostructured materials, as well as to estimate their quality. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, BET surface area and pore size distribution. The activation energy relative to decomposition of P123 template was determined from TG curves, using multiple heating rates and applying the model free kinetics. From the obtained data, it is possible to monitor the hydrothermal synthesis of SBA-15 in order to control the properties and conditions to prepare ordered materials.