Nanoparticulated silicas with bimodal porosity: chemical control of the pore sizes

Nanoparticulated bimodal porous silicas (NBSs) with pore systems structured at two length scales (meso- and large-meso-/macropores) have been prepared through a one-pot surfactant-assisted procedure by using a simple template agent and starting from silicon atrane complexes as hydrolytic inorganic precursors. The final bulk materials are constructed by an aggregation of pseudospherical mesoporous primary nanoparticles process, over the course of which the interparticle (textural) large pore system is generated. A fine-tuning of the procedural variables allows not only an adjustment of the processes of nucleation and growth of the primary nanoparticles but also a modulation of their subsequent aggregation. In this way, we achieve good control of the porosity of both the intra- and interparticle pore systems by managing independent variables. We analyze in particular the regulating role played by two physicochemical variables: the critical micelar concentration (cmc) of the surfactant and the dielectric constant of the reaction medium.