Controlled post‐synthesis grafting of thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) on mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles with pore diameter of 5 nm were synthesized by modification of the sol‐gel synthesis method. Post‐synthesis two‐step grafting of thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) inside the mesopores of the nanoparticles was carried out by distillation–precipitation polymerization of the methacryloxy‐functionalized mesoporous nanoparticles with N‐isopropylacrylamide monomer. A precise control on the quantity of the grafted polymer was achieved by changing the ratio of monomer to methacryloxy‐functionalized nanoparticles. The polymer‐grafted hybrid nanoparticles obtained were fully characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, thermal, and gas‐volumetric analyses, which clearly showed presence and thermoresponsive behavior of the polymer inside the mesopores with the preservation of the characteristic mesoporous structure of the nanoparticles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile synthesis for ordered mesoporous gamma-aluminas with high thermal stability

The facile synthesis of highly ordered mesoporous aluminas with high thermal stability and tunable pore sizes is systematically investigated. The general synthesis strategy is based on a sol-gel process associated with nonionic block copolymer as templates in ethanol solvent. Small-angle XRD, TEM, and nitrogen adsorption and desorption results show that these mesoporous aluminas possess a highly ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructure, which is resistant to high temperature up to 1000 degrees C. Ordered mesoporous structures with tunable pore sizes are obtained with various precursors, different acids as pH adjustors, and different block copolymers as templates. These mesoporous aluminas have large surface areas (ca. 400 m2/g), pore volumes (ca. 0.70 cm3/g), and narrow pore-size distributions. The influence of the complexation ability of anions and hydro-carboxylic acid, acid volatility, and other important synthesis conditions are discussed in detail. Utilizing this simple strategy, we also obtained partly ordered mesoporous alumina with hydrous aluminum nitrate as the precursor. FTIR pyridine adsorption measurements indicate that a large amount of Lewis acid sites exist in these mesoporous aluminas. These materials are expected to be good candidates in catalysis due to the uniform pore structures, large surface areas, tunable pore sizes, and large amounts of surface Lewis acid sites. Loaded with ruthenium, the representative mesoporous alumina exhibits reactant size selectivity in hydrogenation of acetone, D-glucose, and D-(+)-cellobiose as a test reaction, indicating the potential applications in shape-selective catalysis.     

Functional mesoporous poly (ionic liquid) derived from P123: From synthesis to catalysis and alkylation of styrene and o‐xylene

A novel strategy was proposed for the fabrication of high‐performance acidic mesoporous poly ionic liquids catalyst. In this work, mesoporous poly ionic liquids (MPILs) were synthesized with P123 (PEO₂₀PPO₇₀PEO₂₀) served as pore‐forming agent. Then, MPILs were treated with PW^3? anion exchange, thereby fabricating PW/MPIL‐S(x). MPIL and PW/MPIL‐S(x) were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TA), N₂ adsorption–desorption and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectra and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. The effect of solvent and concentration of P123 on the morphology and mesoporous structure of MPILs were investigated systematically. And the results show that MPILs were featured with mesoporous channel structure, high surface area (up to 737 m²/g) and large pore volumes (1.16 cm³/g), which benefit heterogeneous phase reaction (such as, alkylation of styrene with o‐xylene). In the alkylation reaction, under optimal reaction conditions, the catalyst PW/MPIL‐THF (4.0 g) shows high conversion of styrene (100%) and PXE yield (96.21%), demonstrating the excellent catalytic activities. Furthermore, PW/MPIL‐S(x) are easy to be separated from the catalytic system by filtration and show no obvious decrease in catalytic activity after 6 cycle runs. The obtained PW/MPIL‐S(x) catalyst exhibit high thermal and mechanical stability as well, indicating extensive application in high temperature acidic catalysis. This work might open up a new method for the synthesizing of porous polymer catalysts in the future.     

Templated Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Carbons with Tailored Structures and Morphologies

Due to the excellent biocompatibility and the capability to load and release drugs, ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) have been highly prospective and valuable in drug delivery system. In this contribution, synthesis of OMCs with tailored pore sizes from 4.1 to 3.4 nm was achieved by employing SBA‐15 as template and furfuryl alcohol (FA) as carbon precursors. An array of OMCs with controlled structures and morphologies by incipient wetness with FA was analyzed by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The resulting carbon replicas retained the hexagonal symmetry of the silica templates SBA‐15 with p6mm space group, although the framework suffered shrinkage in the replicated process. The pore size distribution, uniformity and pore volume of the mesopores in the OMCs were affected by structural properties of the SBA‐15 templates as shown by N₂ sorption and XRD pattern analysis. The process had the advantage that the textural parameters of the obtained OMCs were tunable simply by varying aging temperature of the silica template and the ratio of carbon precursor.     

Preparation of Monolithic Ti‐incorporated Mesoporous Silica Materials via Tartaric Acid Templated Sol‐gel Process

Monolithic and transparent Ti‐incorporated mesoporous silica materials of large size (e.g. 2 mm) in dimension have been prepared with tartaric add (TA) as template via sol‐gel reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and tetrabutyl titanate (TBT). The materials are characterized by infrared (IR), nitrogen adsorption‐desorption isotherms, powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the monolithic materials exhibit large specific surface areas (ca. 1200 mVg) and pore volumes (ca. 0.900 cm³/g).     

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.     

Novel Functional Mesoporous Materials Obtained from Nanostructured Diblock Copolymers

Summary: Novel carboxy (COOH)-functionalized mesoporous polystyrene membranes were prepared from polystyrene-block-poly(D,L-lactide) (PS-b-PLA) diblock copolymers through the selective degradation of the PLA block. The combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and ring-opening polymerization (ROP) techniques enabled the synthesis of nanostructured diblock copolymers possessing carboxylic acid functionality at the junction between both blocks. Such copolymers were subjected to shear flow through the use of a channel die to align their nanodomains. Under mild alkaline conditions, the quantitative hydrolysis of the polyester nanodomains afforded mesoporous materials with COOH-coated pore walls. The PS-b-PLA precursors as well as the resulting porous systems were carefully analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), ¹H NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2-D SAXS). Moreover, the specific surface area and pore size distribution were determined by nitrogen sorption porosimetry.     

温敏性介孔复合材料PNIPAAm/SBA-15的制备与表征

采用自由基引发原位聚合(in situ polymerization)的方法合成了温敏性聚N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(PNIPAAm)/介孔分子筛SBA-15纳米复合物. 用FT-IR、XRD、TEM、低温N₂吸附-脱附、TG和DSC等手段对复合物进行了表征, 结果表明, 单体N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAAm)在介孔孔内发生了原位聚合, 聚合物PNIPAAm比较均匀地附于孔壁, 含量达24%左右. 这一聚合和孔内填充没有破坏SBA-15的有序六方结构, 但使样品的表面积、孔径、孔容减小. 同时, 这一有机-无机纳米复合物仍然保持PNIPAAm的温度响应性, 最低临界溶解温度(LCST)与纯PNIPAAm相似.     

Synthesis of hollow spherical silica with MCM-41 mesoporous structure

Hollow spherical mesoporous silica was synthesized by using sodium silicate as a precursor and a low concentration of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) (0.154 mol dm^–3). The resulting hollow spherical particles were characterized with scanning electron microcopy (SEM), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂ gas adsorption and desorption techniques. The results showed that regular spherical mesoporous silica could be obtained only if the molar ratio of propanol to CTAB was in the range of approximately 8:1–9:1. The spherical particles were hollow (inside), and the shell consisted of smaller particles with a pore structure of hexagonal symmetry. With an increase of the molar ratio of propanol to CTAB, the distance (a value) between centers of two adjacent pores increased, and the pore structure of mesoporous silica became less ordered. N₂ adsorption–desorption curves revealed type IV isotherms and H1 hysteresis loops; with an increase of the molar ratio of propanol to CTAB, the pore size with Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) diameter of the most probable distribution decreased, but the half peak width of the pore size distribution peak increased     

Structurally Stabilized Organosilane‐Templated Thermostable Mesoporous Titania

Structurally thermostable mesoporous anatase TiO₂ (m‐TiO₂) nanoparticles, uniquely decorated with atomically dispersed SiO₂, is reported for the first time. The inorganic Si portion of the novel organosilane template, used as a mesopores‐directing agent, is found to be incorporated in the pore walls of the titania aggregates, mainly as isolated sites. This is evident by transmission electron microscopy and high‐angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, combined with electron dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. This type of unique structure provides exceptional stability to this new material against thermal collapse of the mesoporous structure, which is reflected in its high surface area (the highest known for anatase titania), even after high‐temperature (550 °C) calcination. Control of crystallite size, pore diameter, and surface area is achieved by varying the molar ratios of the titanium precursor and the template during synthesis. These mesoporous materials retain their porosity and high surface area after template removal and further NaOH/HCl treatment to remove silica. We investigate their performance for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with bilayer TiO₂ electrodes, which are prepared by applying a coating of m‐TiO₂ onto a commercial titania (P25) film. The high surface area of the upper mesoporous layer in the P25–m‐TiO₂ DSSC significantly increases the dye loading ability of the photoanode. The photocurrent and fill factor for the DSSC with the bilayer TiO₂ electrode are greatly improved. The large increase in photocurrent current (ca. 56 %) in the P25–m‐TiO₂ DSSC is believed to play a significant role in achieving a remarkable increase in the photovoltaic efficiency (60 %) of the device, compared to DSSCs with a monolayer of P25 as the electrode.     

Design of hierarchical porous aluminas by using one-pot synthesis and different calcination temperatures

Hierarchical aluminas with pore sizes ranging from a few nanometers to micrometers were obtained using an one-pot sol?Cgel synthesis. The aluminas were synthesized under acid conditions from aluminum isopropoxide in presence of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer template and decahydronaphthalene as emulsifier agent. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen physisorption isotherms and mercury intrusion porosimetry provided evidences of porous structure at different hierarchical levels. The produced aluminas possess hierarchical structure composed of different family of pores that coexist in form of cylinders, pyramids and stacking of platelets. The morphology observed by electron microscopy suggests that the cylindrical pores result from the stacking platelets and that the cylinders and pyramidal pores form the walls of macropores of circular section. These aluminas with hierarchical porous architecture present large surface areas (ca. 435?m² g^?1) and pore volumes (ca. 2.1?cm³ g^?1), tunable pore-size distributions and good thermal stability.     

Assembly of heteropoly acid nanoparticles in SBA-15 and its performance as an acid catalyst

Keggin‐type 12‐tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) nanocrystals have been assembled inside the pores of mesoporous silica through a vacuum impregnation method by using large‐pore SBA‐15 as a nanoreactor. The product was characterized by Brunauer–Emmet–Teller particle size distribution (BET‐PSD), NMR and FT‐IR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), tranmsission electron microscopy (TEM), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and FT‐IR of adsorbed pyridine. The experimental results illustrate that the TPA nanocrystals are excellent Brønsted acid catalytic materials at room temperature.     

Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polyesters as Structure‐Directing Agents in the Formation of Nanoporous Silica

Anionic dendritic macromolecules (hyperbranched polyesters and polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers) and amine‐functionalized PAMAM dendrimers have been used as structure‐directing agents in the synthesis of nanoporous silica structures. When utilizing carboxylates as structure‐directing agents the incorporation of the negatively charged species into a SiO₂ framework was achieved via a sol‐gel synthesis route using a quaternized aminosilane as co‐structure‐directing agent to yield silica materials of various morphologies and high surface areas. Amine dendrimers as porogens gave materials with high surface areas, revealing increasing pore sizes corresponding to the increasing size of the porogen. The resulting materials have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption/desorption (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Hierarchical Mesoporous SnO Microspheres as High Capacity Anode Materials for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Mesoporous SnO microspheres were synthesised by a hydrothermal method using NaSO₄ as the morphology directing agent. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses showed that SnO microspheres consist of nanosheets with a thickness of about 20 nm. Each nanosheet contains a mesoporous structure with a pore size of approximately 5 nm. When applied as anode materials in Na‐ion batteries, SnO microspheres exhibited high reversible sodium storage capacity, good cyclability and a satisfactory high rate performance. Through ex situ XRD analysis, it was found that Na⁺ ions first insert themselves into SnO crystals, and then react with SnO to generate crystalline Sn, followed by Na–Sn alloying with the formation of crystalline NaSn₂ phase. During the charge process, there are two slopes corresponding to the de‐alloying of Na–Sn compounds and oxidisation of Sn, respectively. The high sodium storage capacity and good electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the unique hierarchical mesoporous architecture of SnO microspheres.     

Standard nitrogen adsorption data for α-alumina and their use for characterization of mesoporous alumina-based materials

Nitrogen adsorption isotherm measured at ?196 °C for a macroporous α-alumina (α-Al₂O₃) is reported. This isotherm is compared with the previously reported adsorption data measured on LiChrospher 1000 silica and with available reference isotherms measured at moderate and high relative pressures on macroporous aluminas. The isotherm reported in this work for α-Al₂O₃ and that recorded previously on LiChrospher 1000 silica were used as reference data for adsorption characterization of ordered and disordered mesoporous aluminas by α _s -plot analysis and pore size analysis. It is shown that both reference isotherms provide almost identical adsorption characteristics of the aforementioned mesoporous aluminas, indicating that the available reference data for the silica surface are also suitable for adsorption analysis of alumina-based materials.     

Magnetic mesoporous polyimide composite for efficient extraction of Rhodamine B in food samples

A core‐shell structured magnetic polyimide composite has been synthesized by the covalent coating of a mesoporous polyimide polymer onto the surface of magnetite nanoparticles. The nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherms, X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results showed that the prepared composite had a large surface area (306.45 m²/g), a unique pore size (2.15 nm), and strong magnetic properties (45.7 emμ/g), rendering it a promising sorbent material for magnetic solid‐phase extraction. The parameters that affect the extraction efficiency of rhodamine B were optimized with the assistance of response surface methodology. Under the optimal conditions, the developed method has been successfully applied to determine the rhodamine B in food samples. The linearities and limits of detection of rhodamine B in hot pepper, red wine, and chili powder samples were measured. Satisfactory recoveries in the range of 94.8–103.3% with relative standard deviations <5.5% were obtained. Investigation of the adsorption mechanism of magnetic polyimide composite indicated that multiple interactions, including hydrophobic, π‐π, and hydrogen bonding interactions, were involved in the adsorption process.     

Initiator‐fragment incorporation radical polymerization of divinylbenzene in the presence of glyoxylic oxime ether: Formation of soluble hyperbranched polymer

The copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) and ethylstyrene (EtSt) was carried out at 70 and 80 °C in benzene with dimethyl 2,2‐azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) at high concentrations as initiator in the presence of methyl benzyloxyiminoacetate (MBOIA), a glyoxylic oxime ether, as a retarder. The copolymerization system of DVB (0.25 mol/L), EtSt (0.25 mol/L), MBOIA (0.5 mol/L), and MAIB (0.5 mol/L) gave benzene‐soluble copolymers despite a considerably high concentration of DVB as an excellent crosslinker. The yield and molecular weight of the resulting copolymers increased with time both at 70 and 80 °C and then leveled off because of initiator consumption. The homogeneous polymerization system involved electron spin resonance (ESR), observable nitrogen‐centered polymer radicals (MBOIA·) under the actual polymerization conditions. The MBOIA· concentration increased with time despite a homogeneous polymerization system, suggesting the formation of rigid hyperbranched polymers. A benzene solution of isolated copolymer also showed an ESR signal. The copolymer was soluble in acetone, toluene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, and N,N‐dimethylformamide but insoluble in n‐hexane, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide. MAIB fragments as high as 30–40 mol % were incorporated into the copolymers through initiation and primary radical termination, on the basis of which this polymerization was named the initiator‐fragment incorporation radical polymerization. MBOIA (13–16 mol%) was also incorporated into the copolymers through an opening of the C?N bond. The intrinsic viscosity of the copolymers was very low (0.08 dL/g), and the reduced viscosity was almost independent of the polymer concentration, supporting a hyperbranched structure of them. Gel permeation chromatography and multi‐angle laser light scattering and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the copolymer was formed as a hyperbranched nanoparticle. The thermal behavior of the copolymer was examined by dynamic thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3038–3047, 2003     

Tuning the optical properties of mesoporous TiO2 films by nanoscale engineering

The optical properties of spin-coated titanium dioxide films have been tuned by introducing mesoscale pores into the inorganic matrix. Differently sized pores were templated using Pluronic triblock copolymers as surfactants in the sol-gel precursor solutions and adjusted by varying the process parameters, such as the polymer concentration, annealing temperature, and time. The change in refractive index observed for different mesoporous anatase films annealed at 350, 400, or 450 °C directly correlates with changes in the pore size. Additionally, the index of refraction is influenced by the film thickness and the density of pores within the films. The band gap of these films is blue-shifted, presumably due to stress the introduction of pores exerts on the inorganic matrix. This study focused on elucidating the effect different templating materials (Pluronic F127 and P123) have on the pore size of the final mesoporous titania film and on understanding the relation of varying the polymer concentration (taking P123 as an example) in the sol-gel solution to the pore density and size in the resultant titania film. Titania thin film samples or corresponding titanium dioxide powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, cross-section transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, ellipsometery, UV/vis spectrometry, and other techniques to understand the interplay between mesoporosity and optical properties.     

介孔TiO2的水热法制备及其光催化性能

以二钛酸钾(K2Ti2O5)经离子交换得到的无定形水合二钛酸(H2Ti2O5·xH2O)为原料, 与葡萄糖溶液在220 ℃下进行水热反应, 再在空气中520 ℃焙烧, 制备出介孔TiO2. 用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、N2吸附、透射电子显微镜(TEM)等技术对样品进行了表征. 结果表明, 该介孔TiO2具有微米级棒状或针状形貌, 晶粒大小为12.3 nm, 比表面积为106 m2·g-1, 孔容为0.31 cm3·g-1, 孔径为8.06 nm, 焙烧处理后晶型仍是锐钛矿相. 水热生成的碳抑制了晶粒的团聚生长和晶型的转变, 提高了介孔TiO2的热稳定性. 甲基橙降解实验评价了介孔TiO2的光催化性能, 结果发现其活性与商用TiO2催化剂P25相当, 而其较大的粒径更容易回收再利用. 以碘化钾为探针反应, 表明介孔TiO2的光催化机制以光生空穴氧化为主.     

Comparative study of amphiphilic hyperbranched and linear polymer stabilized organo‐soluble gold nanoparticles as efficient recyclable catalysts in the biphasic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol

A series of organo‐soluble spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared through the reduction of HAuCl₄ by NaBH₄ in the presence of amphiphilic hyperbranched polymers that had a hydrophilic hyperbranched polyethylenimine core and a hydrophobic shell formed by many palmitamide (C16) chains. For comparison, the corresponding linear polymeric analog derived from linear polyethylenimine was also used to prepare the organo‐soluble AuNPs. The obtained AuNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that higher feed ratio of polymer to HAuCl₄ and utilization of polymers with higher C16 density usually resulted in smaller AuNPs with relatively lower polydispersity. Except of the polymer having the pronounced low molecular weight, the molecular weight and the morphology of the amphiphilic polymers had almost no obvious effect on the size of the formed AuNPs. These organo‐soluble AuNPs could be used as efficient catalysts for the biphasic catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol by NaBH₄. Their apparent rate coefficients had correlation with the molecular weight of the used amphiphilic polymers, but were less relevant to the morphology of these polymers. These organo‐soluble AuNPs could be conveniently recovered and reused many times. The morphology of the capping polymers had obvious effect on the lifetime of the AuNPs catalysts in the catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol. Except of the pronounced low molecular weight hyperbranched polymer, the other hyperbranched ones with relatively high molecular weight rendered the AuNPs to have bigger turnover number values than their linear analog. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011