Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of SBA-15 in presence of metalloporphyrins: m-5,10,15,20 TPP-Ni2+, Etio-III-Ni2+ and Etio-III-VO2+

New mesoporous materials were produced incorporating, at the beginning of the SBA-15 sol–gel synthesis, three different metalloporphyrins: m-5,10,15,20-TPP-Ni²⁺, Etio-III-Ni²⁺, Etio-III-VO²⁺. These materials have the well-known hexagonal structure characteristic of SBA-15 with some differences: the presence of the porphyrins modifies the micelles generated during the sol–gel process changing the textural properties of the SBA-15-Porphyrins. Even when the hexagonal structure was preserved, the order in the crystalline structure was maintained only for short distances producing pores of different sizes and wider pore size distributions. UV–Vis results showed that the porphyrins are strongly adsorbed on SBA-15 through the interaction of their π electrons with the superficial hydroxyl groups of the support. This was confirmed by thermogravimetric results that show a high degree of incorporation of the porphyrins on the SBA-15 and a high thermal stability.