Imidazolium-containing ionosilicas

The case of chemically grafted cations is by far the most studied form of ionosilicas [76]. This is due to the chemical versatility of the cationic precursors that are most often derived from imidazolium, ammonium, pyridinium, or phospho-nium compounds. Due to their ease of derivatization, in most cases the cationic substructure is functionalized with hydrolyzable trialkoxysilyl groups. As ionosilicas are often inspired with ionic liquids, imidazolium-containing ionosilicas have an outstanding position in this field. 

Scheme 16.9 Ionic precursor surfactant interactions in the formation of hybrid imidazolium-containing ionosilica.

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