Hierarchical bimodal meso-macroporous

Complex templates combine soft and hard template techniques. This methodology is used for synthesizing hierarchically bimodal and trimodal meso-macroporous materials with interconnected pore channels combining a surfactant template with a colloidal crystal template (Yuan and Su, 2004). 

Based on the control of sol-gel deposition, hierarchically porous silica-based materials with a bimodal pore system (mesopores/large meso/macropores) and a diversity of dopant elements (Al, Ti, V, and Zr) could be prepared by using a one-pot surfactant-assisted procedure [78]. Another example includes the preparation of nonionically templated [Si]-MSU-X mesoporous silicas with bimodal pore systems by adding dilute electrolytes. 

Several approaches towards the synthesis of hierarchical meso- and macro-porous materials have been described. For instance, a mixture that comprised a block co-polymer and polymer latex spheres was utilized to obtain large pore silicas with a bimodal pore size distribution [84]. Rather than pre-organizing latex spheres into an ordered structure they were instead mixed with block-copolymer precursor sols and the resulting structures were disordered. A similar approach that utilized a latex colloidal crystal template was used to assemble a macroporous crystal with amesoporous silica framework [67]. 

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