Hierarchically porous silver monoliths from colloidal bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels

Silver monoliths with interconnected hierarchical pore networks and three-dimensional (3D) bicontinuous morphology are synthesized from a colloidal bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gel (bijel) via reduction of silver ions within a nanoporous cross-linked polymer template. The pore sizes may be tuned independently and range from tens of nanometers to over a hundred micrometers. The method is straightforward as well as flexible and can pave the way to a host of hierarchical materials for current technologies.     

Controlling the shape and alignment of mesopores by confinement in colloidal crystals: designer pathways to silica monoliths with hierarchical porosity

Monolithic pieces of hierarchically structured silica, containing both periodic macropores and mesopores with well-controlled architecture, are synthesized by dual templating methods. Colloidal crystal templating with close-packed arrays of poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres yields regular, highly interconnected macropores a few hundred nanometers in diameter, and templating with nonionic surfactants produces mesoporosity (2.5-5.1 nm pore diameters) in the macropore walls. Several distinct mesostructures can be achieved within the silica skeleton, depending on the choice of surfactant, co-surfactant, and processing conditions. In the three-dimensional (3D) confinement of the colloidal crystal template, wormlike channels, cubic (Pm3n), or two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal (P6mm) mesostructures are produced with the surfactant Brij 56 (C16H33(OCH2CH2)nOH (n approximately 10) and dodecane as cosurfactant. In the 2D hexagonal structure, channels are oriented perpendicular to the polymer spheres, thereby connecting adjacent macropores through the silica walls. This orientation contrasts with channel alignment parallel to latex spheres when the polymeric surfactant Pluronic P123 (EO20PO70EO20) is used. On the basis of high-resolution 3D transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and nitrogen sorption measurements, structural and textural properties of the monoliths are described in detail as a function of the synthesis parameters. The control over the mesoarchitecture of these silica-surfactant systems in 3D confinement is explained by considering the relative dimensions of the mesostructures with respect to the interstitial space in the latex template, interfacial interactions, entropic effects, and structural frustration.     

Structurally designed synthesis of mechanically stable poly(benzoxazine-co-resol)-based porous carbon monoliths and their application as high-performance CO2 capture sorbents

Porous carbon monoliths with defined multilength scale pore structures, a nitrogen-containing framework, and high mechanical strength were synthesized through a self-assembly of poly(benzoxazine-co-resol) and a carbonization process. Importantly, this synthesis can be easily scaled up to prepare carbon monoliths with identical pore structures. By controlling the reaction conditions, porous carbon monoliths exhibit fully interconnected macroporosity and mesoporosity with cubic Im3m symmetry and can withstand a press pressure of up to 15.6 MPa. The use of amines in the synthesis results in a nitrogen-containing framework of the carbon monolith, as evidenced by the cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning NMR characterization. With such designed structures, the carbon monoliths show outstanding CO(2) capture and separation capacities, high selectivity, and facile regeneration at room temperature. At ~1 bar, the equilibrium capacities of the monoliths are in the range of 3.3-4.9 mmol g(-1) at 0 °C and of 2.6-3.3 mmol g(-1) at 25 °C, while the dynamic capacities are in the range of 2.7-4.1 wt % at 25 °C using 14% (v/v) CO(2) in N(2). The carbon monoliths exhibit high selectivity for the capture of CO(2) over N(2) from a CO(2)/N(2) mixture, with a separation factor ranging from 13 to 28. Meanwhile, they undergo a facile CO(2) release in an argon stream at 25 °C, indicating a good regeneration capacity.     

Selective preparation of macroporous monoliths of conductive titanium oxides Ti(n)O(2n-1) (n = 2, 3, 4, 6)

Monolithic conductive titanium oxides Ti(n)O(2n-1) (n = 2, 3, 4, 6) with well-defined macropores have been successfully prepared as a single phase, via reduction of a macroporous TiO(2) precursor monolith using zirconium getter. Despite substantial removal of oxide ions, all the reduced monoliths retain the macropore properties of the precursor, i.e., uniform pore size distribution and pore volume. Furthermore, compared to commercial porous Ebonex (shaped conductive Ti(n)O(2n-1)), the bulk densities (1.8 g cm(-3)) are half, and the porosities (60%) are about 3 times higher. The obtained Ti(n)O(2n-1) (n = 2, 3, 4, 6) macroporous monoliths could find applications as electrodes for many electrochemical reactions.     

Influence of the hydrothermal treatment on the chromatographic properties of monolithic silica capillaries for nano-liquid chromatography or capillary electrochromatography

In the last decade, silica monolithic capillaries have focused more and more attention on miniaturized separation techniques like capillary electrochromatography (CEC), nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) and chip electrochromatography owing to their unique chromatographic properties and their simplified preparation compared with packed columns. They are synthesized according to a sol-gel multi-step process that includes, after a gelation step at 40 degrees C leading to the formation of the macropores network and the silica skeleton, a post-gelation step (hydrothermal treatment at 120 degrees C in basic medium) that allows to tailor the mesopores and finally a calcination or a washing step to remove remaining polymers. In order to reduce the synthesis time, the number of synthesis steps and above all the temperature synthesis, to adapt the synthesis of such silica monoliths in polymeric microsystem devices, we extensively studied the influence of the hydrothermal treatment and its duration on textural (pore size distribution) and chromatographic properties (retention, efficiency) of in situ-synthesized capillary monoliths in nano-LC and CEC. This study was performed on pure silica and octyl chains grafted silica monoliths. Untreated monoliths show small pores (<6 nm), whereas hydrothermally treated monoliths exhibit medium and large mesopores (8-17 nm). It was demonstrated that the hydrothermal treatment at 120 degrees C was not necessary for pure silica monolithic capillaries dedicated to normal phase liquid chromatography or hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and electrochromatography: the suppression of the hydrothermal treatment did not impair efficiencies in CEC and in nano-LC but contributed to increase in retention factors. Minimal plate heights of ca. 5 microm in CEC and 6 microm in nano-LC were obtained with or without hydrothermal treatment with bare silica. In the same way, the hydrothermal treatment was not necessary for grafted silica monoliths only dedicated to CEC. However, the results clearly indicate that the hydrothermal treatment becomes essential before grafting in order to preserve the efficiency of the monolithic silica capillaries dedicated to nano-LC: in this particular case, the suppression of the hydrothermal treatment leads approximately to a loss of a factor two in efficiency.     

Rapid synthesis of SBA-15 rods with variable lengths, widths, and tunable large pores

Dispersed SBA-15 rods have been synthesized with varying lengths, widths, and pore sizes in a low-temperature synthesis in the presence of heptane and NH(4)F. The pore size of the material can systematically be varied between 11 and 17 nm using different hydrothermal treatment times and/or temperatures. The particle length (400-600 nm) and width (100-400 nm) were tuned by varying the HCl concentration. All the synthesized materials possess a large surface area of 400-600 m(2)/g and a pore volume of 1.05-1.30 cm(3). A mechanism for the effect of the HCl concentration on the particle morphology is suggested. Furthermore, it is shown that the reaction time can be decreased to 1 h, with well-retained pore size and morphology. This work has resulted in SBA-15 rods with the largest pore size reported for this morphology.     

Optimization of instantaneous solvent exchange/surface modification process for ambient synthesis of monolithic silica aerogels

The instantaneous solvent exchange/surface modification (ISE/SM) process for the ambient synthesis of crack-free silica aerogel monoliths with a high production yield was optimized. Monolithic forms of silica wet gels were obtained from aqueous colloidal silica sols prepared via the ion exchange of sodium silicate solutions. Crack-free silica aerogel monoliths were synthesized via an ISE/SM process using isopropyl alcohol/trimethylchlorosilane as a modification agent and n-hexane as a main solvent, followed by ambient drying. The optimum process conditions of the ISE/SM process were investigated by clarifying the reaction mechanism and phenomena. Most effective ranges of process variables on the ISE/SM stage were determined as 0.2500-0.3567 of TMCS/H2O (pore water) in molar ratio and 15-30 of n-hexane/TMCS in volumetric ratio, with a reaction temperature below 283 K. Crack-free silica aerogel monoliths synthesized via these conditions had a well-developed mesoporous structure and excellent properties (bulk density of 0.12-0.14 g/cm3, specific surface area of 724 m2/g), and a high yield (nearly 80%).     

Influence of the methacrylate monolith structure on genomic DNA mechanical degradation, enzymes activity and clogging

The chromatography of mechanically sensitive macromolecules still represents a challenge. While larger pores can reduce the mechanically induced cleavage of large macromolecules and column clogging, the column performance inevitably decreases. To investigate the effect of pore size on the mechanical degradation of DNA, column permeability and enzyme biological activity, methacrylate monoliths with different pore sizes were tested. Monolith with a 143 nm pore radius mechanically damaged the DNA and was clogged at flow rates above 0.5 ml min(-1) (26 cm h(-1)). For monoliths with a pore radius of 634 nm and 2900 nm, no mechanical degradation of DNA was observed up to 5 ml min(-1) (265 cm h(-1)) above which the HPLC itself became the main source of damage. A decrease of a permeability appeared at flow rate 1.8 ml min(-1) (95 cm h(-1)) and 2.3 ml min(-1) (122 cm h(-1)), respectively. The effect of the pore size on enzyme biological activity was tested with immobilized DNase and trypsin on all three monoliths. Although the highest amount of enzyme was immobilized on the monolith with the smallest pores, monolith with the pore radius 634 nm exhibited the highest DNase biological activity probably due to restricted access for DNA molecules into the small pores. Interestingly, specific biological activity was increasing with a pore size decrease. This was attributed to higher number of contacts between a substrate and immobilized ligand.     

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of highly ordered hexagonal and cubic composite monoliths

Design of nanocatalysts for efficient heterogeneous catalytic systems is needed to high ingredients for environmental cleanup of organic pollutant species. Here, well-defined order NiO-silica monolithic catalysts with hexagonal P6mm and cubic Pm3n mesostructures were successfully fabricated by using an instant direct-templating method of lyotropic and microemulsion phases of Brij 76 (C18H37(OCH2CH2)10 OH, C18EO 10). Ordered hexagonal P6mm NiO/HOM-2 monoliths could be fabricated in lyotropic system of Brij 76 at phase composition domains of TMOS/Brij 76 (50 wt%). However, periodically ordered cubic Pm3n NiO-supported monoliths were synthesized in microemulsion system formed by addition of C12-alkane to the hexagonal phase domains. This synthetic strategy also revealed that the NiO particles were well-dispersed into the silicate pore surface matrices of mesostructures. Monolithic NiO-silica composites with 2D hexagonal and 3D cubic geometries and with large particle morphologies show promise to act as catalysts. The current study revealed evidence of the advantages of nanoscale pore geometry and shape, and particle morphology of the supported silica monoliths in the design of nanocatalysts that can efficiently enhance the catalytic functionality in terms of stability, reversibility and reactivity. Furthermore, a key finding in our study was that 2D hexagonal and 3D cubic mesostructured NiO-silica catalysts retained the specific activity towards the oxidation reaction even after several regeneration/reuse cycles. Significant study of the mechanistic cyclization of the organic reactant using the density functional (DFT) calculations provided evidence of the key components of conformations of the functional model during the formation of the oxidation product.     

以SBA-15为硅源合成多级孔SAPO-11分子筛及其在正十二烷临氢异构化中的应用

以脱除模板剂后的SBA-15为硅源和间接模板剂,在水热条件下制备多级孔SAPO-11分子筛,并通过XRD、SEM、红外光谱、氮气物理吸附-脱附等表征手段对样品的晶相、形貌、酸性和织构性质进行表征。结果表明,以焙烧后的SBA-15为硅源合成出纯相的SAPO-11分子筛,且SBA-15已完全转化。合成的SAPO-11样品呈空心的近方柱体形貌,由宽度为100 nm左右的细条聚集而成,晶粒粒径为1-3 μm。与白炭黑、硅溶胶合成的常规SAPO-11分子筛对比发现,添加SBA-15可在SAPO-11中引入介孔孔道,孔径为5-10 nm,且样品以中强度的Brønsted酸为主,弱Brønsted酸相对较少。以正十二烷为探针分子,考察Pt/SAPO-11催化剂的临氢异构化反应性能。结果表明,多级孔Pt/SAPO-11催化剂具有优良的异构化反应性能。催化剂的高活性和选择性与SAPO-11分子筛的酸性质和孔道结构密切相关,中强度的Brønsted酸量的增加有助于活性提高,同时介孔孔道有利于产物扩散,异构产物的选择性明显提高。     

Synthesis and characterization of SiC materials with hierarchical porosity obtained by replication techniques

Porous silicon carbide monoliths were obtained using the infiltration of preformed SiO(2) frameworks with appropriate carbon precursors such as mesophase pitch. The initial SiO(2) monoliths possessed a hierarchical pore system, composed of an interpenetrating bicontinuous macropore structure and 13 nm mesopores confined in the macropore walls. After carbonization, further heat treatment at ca. 1,400 degrees C resulted in the formation of a SiC-SiO(2) composite, which was converted into a porous SiC monolith by post-treatment with ammonium fluoride solution. The resulting porous SiC featured high crystallinity, high chemical purity and showed a surface area of 280 m(2) g(-1) and a pore volume of 0.8 ml g(-1).     

合成条件对硅胶整体柱中孔结构的影响

硅胶整体柱是目前备受关注的液相色谱固定相。本文考察了合成条件对硅胶整体柱中孔结构的影响,包括反应体系的pH值、聚乙二醇(PEG)含量及分子量。实验表明,反应体系的pH值能有效地调控硅胶整体柱的中孔孔径及孔结构,当pH值为2或5时,整体柱中孔孔径较小;而当pH值为3或9时,孔径较大,孔结构趋于圆筒状。整体柱的中孔平均孔径随着PEG含量和分子量的增加而增加,其孔径分布也逐渐变宽。     

Investigation of the physicochemical aspects from natural kaolin to Al-MCM-41 mesoporous materials

Aluminum-containing hexagonally ordered mesoporous silica Al-MCM-41 was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of leached products produced by pre-grinding and subsequent acid leaching of natural kaolin, without addition of silica or aluminum regents. The resulting Al-MCM-41 had a high surface area of 1041 m(2)/g, a pore volume of 0.97 mL/g, and an average pore diameter of 3.7 nm with narrow pore size distribution centered at 2.7 nm. During the synthesis process of Al-MCM-41 from natural kaolin, the evolutions of chemical environments for Si and Al atoms should be emphasized. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), high-resolution transmission electron micrographs (HRTEMs), solid-state magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to trace the variations of chemical structures. Pretreatment of grinding and subsequent acid leaching acted as an important role in the whole synthesis process. NMR spectroscopy showed that Q(3) structure (Si(SiO)(3)(OH)), condensed Q(4) framework structure (Si(SiO)(4)), also the octahedral and tetrahedral Al existed in the leached sample and Al-MCM-41, with higher chemical contents of Q(4) structure and the octahedral Al in final product Al-MCM-41 than those in the leached sample. A possible mechanism for the formation of Al-MCM-41 from natural kaolin was suggested.     

One-step synthesis of hierarchical zeolite beta via network formation of uniform nanocrystals

A hierarchical mesoporous network of zeolite beta with very high micropore as well as mesopore volume was synthesized without the need of a porogen at near 100% yield in the form of easily retrievable micrometer-sized particles. This was achieved by a dense-gel synthesis utilizing steam-assisted conversion (SAC) to induce a burst of nucleation. During the first phase of the synthesis, individual, evenly sized zeolite beta nanoparticles are formed that subsequently condense into a porous network displaying uniform mesopores. The final product consists of hierarchical self-sustaining macroscopic zeolite aggregates assembled from 20 nm crystalline domains of zeolite beta. The small size of the zeolite crystals in the resulting materials gives rise to mesopores with dominant pore sizes of about 13 nm. Large surface areas between 630 and 750 m(2)/g and total pore volumes up to 0.9 mL/g were obtained without sacrificing the microporosity (usually larger than 0.20 mL/g). Crystallization conditions were optimized for different Si/Al ratios between 10 and 33. A complete conversion into hierarchical zeolite beta was achieved in only a few hours at 170-180 °C if the amount of water present during the steam-assisted conversion was adequately adjusted. This dense gel steam conversion process proves to be a highly efficient strategy for fabricating hierarchical zeolite beta networks in a single step.     

Monolithic poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) capillary columns functionalized to strong anion exchangers for nucleotide and oligonucleotide separation

In the present work, poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) monoliths were synthesized and further derivatized to obtain strong anion exchange supports. Capillary monoliths (65 x 0.2 mm id) were prepared in situ by copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene, employing 1-decanol and tetrahydrofuran as porogens. The free epoxy groups were derivatized in a two step synthesis to obtain quaternary ammonium functionalities. On testing the pressure stability of the synthesized monolith, a highly linear dependence between flow rate and pressure drop was obtained, indicating the high stability of the material even at high flow rates. The morphology of the copolymer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Mercury intrusion porosimetry showed a narrow pore size distribution, having a maximum at 439 nm. On recording a van Deemter plot the number of theoretical plates per meter was found to be 59324. The produced strong anion exchange monoliths turned out to be highly suitable for the separation of nucleotides and oligonucleotides.     

Catalytic performance of imidazole modified HZSM-5 for methanol to aromatics reaction

A facile approach was developed for the preparation of nano-sized HZSM-5 with a hierarchical mesoporous structure by adding imidazole into conventional zeolite synthesis precursor solution. The physicochemical properties of modified HZSM-5 were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), N_2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), NH_3-temperature-programmed desorption(NH_3-TPD) and pyridine adsorption infrared spectroscopy(Py-IR). The coke in spent catalysts was characterized by thermogravimetry(TG). The results showed that hierarchical HZSM-5 zeolites with excellent textural properties, such as abundant porous structure, uniform particle size and suitable acidity, could be synthesized by the recipe of one-pot synthesis routes. Moreover, the obtained HZSM-5 exhibited higher selectivity of total aromatics as well as longer lifetime in the catalytic conversion of methanol to aromatics, comparing with conventional HZSM-5. It is expected that the synthesis approach demonstrated here will be applicable to other zeolites with particular textural properties and controllable particle sizes, facilitating the emergence of new-type porous materials and their related applications in catalysis and separation.     

General and simple approach for control cage and cylindrical mesopores, and thermal/hydrothermal stable frameworks

Highly ordered cage and cylindrical mesoporeous silica monoliths (HOM) with 2- and 3-dimensional (2D and 3D, respectively) structures, mesopore/micropore volumes, and thick-walled frameworks were successfully fabricated by instant direct templating of lyotropic phases of copolymer (EO(m)-PO(n)-EO(m)) surfactants. Large cage-like pores with uniform constriction sizes up to 10 nm and open cylindrical channel-like mesopores can be easily achieved by this simple and efficient synthesis design. Our results show that the cage-like pores could be fabricated at relatively lower copolymer concentrations used in the lyotropic phase domains at copolymer/TMOS ratios of 35 wt %. These ordered cage pore architectures underwent transition to open-cylindrical pores by increasing the copolymer concentration. High EO/PO block copolymers, in general, were crucially affected on the increase of the interior cavity sizes and on the stability of the cage mesopore characters. However, for F108 (EO(141)PO(44)EO(141)) systems, the fabrication of ordered and stable cage pore monoliths was achieved with significantly higher copolymer concentrations up to 90 wt %. Interestingly, the effective copolymer molecular nature was also observed in the ability to design various ordered mesophase geometries in large domain sizes. Our findings here show evidence that the synthetic strategy provides realistic control over a wide range of mesostructured phase geometries and their extended long-range ordering in the final replicas of the silica monolith frameworks. In addition, the HOM silica monoliths exhibited considerable structural stability against higher thermal temperature (up to 1000 degrees C) and longer hydrothermal treatment times under boiling water and steam. The remarkable structural findings of 3D frameworks, transparent monoliths, and micropores combined with large cage- and cylindrical-like mesopores are expected to find promising uses in materials chemistry.     

Ordered mesoporous silica with large cage-like pores: structural identification and pore connectivity design by controlling the synthesis temperature and time

FDU-1 silicas with large cage-like pores (diameter about 10 nm) were synthesized under acidic conditions from tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of a poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(butylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer template B50-6600 (EO(39)BO(47)EO(39)). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering provided strong evidence that FDU-1 silica synthesized under typical conditions is a face-centered cubic Fm3m structure with 3-dimensional hexagonal intergrowth and is not a body-centered cubic Im3m structure, as originally reported. Samples synthesized in a wide range of conditions (initial temperatures from 298 to 353 K; hydrothermal treatment at 333-393 K) exhibited similar XRD patterns and their nitrogen adsorption isotherms indicated a good-quality cage-like pore structure. The examination of low-pressure nitrogen adsorption isotherms for FDU-1 samples, whose pore entrance diameters were evaluated using an independent method, allowed us to conclude that low-pressure adsorption was appreciably stronger for samples with smaller pore entrance sizes. This prompted us to examine low-pressure adsorption isotherms for a wide range of samples and led us to a conclusion that the FDU-1 pore entrance size can be systematically enlarged from about 1.3 nm (perhaps even lower) to at least 2.4 nm without an appreciable loss of uniformity by increasing the temperature of the hydrothermal treatment or the initial synthesis. Further enlargement of pore entrance size was achieved for sufficiently long hydrothermal treatment times at temperatures of 373 K or higher, as seen from the shape of nitrogen desorption isotherms. This allowed us to obtain samples with uniform pore sizes, high adsorption capacity, and with pore entrances enlarged so much that their size was similar to the size of the pore itself, resulting in a highly open porous structure. However, in the latter case, there was evidence that the pore entrance size distribution was quite broad.     

Three-dimensional opal-like silica foams

The synthesis of novel meso-/macroporous SiO2 monoliths by combining a nano-building-blocks-based approach with the confined geometry of a tailored air-liquid foam structure is described. The resulting macrostructure in which ordered close-packed colloidal silica nanoparticles constitute the monolith's scaffolds very closely resembles the tailored periodic air-liquid foam template. The void spaces between adjacent particles create textural mesoporosity; therefore, the as-prepared silica networks are characterized by hierarchical porosity at the macroscopic and mesoscopic length scales. The fine-tuning of both the liquid foam's fraction and the bubble size allows a rational design over the macroscopic cell morphologies (shape, Plateau border's length, and width). Striking results of this approach are the weak shrinkage of the as-synthesized opal-like scaffolds during the thermally induced sintering process and, in contrast with previous studies, the formation of closed-cell structures. Particle organization and the foam film surface roughness are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), showing the influence of the liquid flow, within the foams' Plateau borders and films, on the final assemblies.     

Ordered nanoporous polymers from polystyrene-polylactide block copolymers

Nanoporous polystyrene monoliths were prepared from polystyrene-polylactide (PS-PLA) block copolymers that form hexagonally packed nanocylinders of PLA in a PS matrix. A morphology diagram was developed to determine the range in composition and molecular weight over which this morphology existed. Macroscopic alignment of these materials gave anisotropic monoliths that were subjected to mild degradation conditions leading to the chemical etching of the PLA. The resulting nanoporous monoliths consisted of a polystyrene matrix containing hexagonally close-packed, oriented, and continuous nanoscopic channels (pore size was tunable through synthesis or blending) lined with chemically accessible hydroxyl functional groups. Both the precursors and the porous materials were analyzed moleculary (size-exclusion chromatography and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and structurally (small-angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry). In addition, the surface area and pore size distribution of the nanoporous monoliths were characterized (N2 adsorption measurements). These nanoporous materials have remarkable potential as hosts for nanomaterial synthesis, size-selective catalyst supports, and advanced separations.