Metal-containing silica mesostructured

For some reviews, see (a) Majoral J-P (2007) Influence of cationic phosphorus dendrimers on the surfactant-induced synthesis of mesostructured nanoporous silica. New J Chem 31 1259-1263 (b) Puntoriero F, Nastasi F, Cavazzini M et al (2007) Coupling synthetic antenna and electron donor species a tetranuclear mixed-metal Os(II)-Ru(II) dendrimer containing six phenothiazine donor subunits at the periphery. Coord Chem Rev... 

Well ordered mesoporous silicate films were prepared in supercritical carbon dioxide.[218] In the synthesis in aqueous or alcoholic solution, film morphology of preorganized surfactants on substrate cannot be fully prescribed before silica-framework formation, because structure evolution is coincident with precursor condensation. The rapid and efficient preparation of mesostructured metal oxides by the in situ condensation of metal oxides within preformed nonionic surfactants can be done in supercritical CCU- The synthesis procedure is as follows. A copolymer template is prepared by spin-coating from a solution containing a suitable acid catalyst. Upon drying and annealing to induce microphase separation and enhance order, the acid partitions into the hydrophilic domain of the template. The template is then exposed to a solution of metal alkoxide in humidified supercritical C02. The precursor diffuses into the template and condenses selectively within the acidic hydrophilic domain of the copolymer to form the incipient metal oxide network. The templates did not go into the C02 phase because their solubility is very low. The alcohol by-product of alkoxide condensation is extracted rapidly from the film into the C02 phase, which promotes rapid and extensive network condensation. Because the template and the metal oxide network form in discrete steps, it is possible to pattern the template via lithography or to orient the copolymer domains before the formation of the metal oxide network. 

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