Pore sizes, tunable

Low temperature sol-gel technology is promising approach for preparation of modified with organic molecules silica (SG) thin films. Such films are perspective as sensitive elements of optical sensors. Incorporation of polyelectrolytes into SG sol gives the possibility to obtain composite films with ion-exchange properties. The addition of non-ionic surfactants as template agents into SG sol results formation of ordered mechanically stable materials with tunable pore size. 

The consideration that many zeolite types exist, each with many tunable properties (e.g., pore size and alumina content), leads not only to a wealth of options but also to a high level of complexity. Owing to this complexity and limited understanding of zeolite formation and permeation behavior, a lot of experimental effort is required in this field, slowing down developments toward successful application. 

The narrow pore size distribution of TUD-1 is illustrated in Figure 41.5 by the single peak derived from the nitrogen desorption isotherm. Moreover, an important feature of the material is the easy tunability of the pore sizes over a wide range while maintaining a narrow pore size distribution. 

Recent reports describe the use of various porous carbon materials for protein adsorption. For example, Hyeon and coworkers summarized the recent development of porous carbon materials in their review [163], where the successful use of mesoporous carbons as adsorbents for bulky pollutants, as electrodes for supercapacitors and fuel cells, and as hosts for protein immobilization are described. Gogotsi and coworkers synthesized novel mesoporous carbon materials using ternary MAX-phase carbides that can be optimized for efficient adsorption of large inflammatory proteins [164]. The synthesized carbons possess tunable pore size with a large volume of slit-shaped mesopores. They demonstrated that not only micropores (0.4—2 nm) but also mesopores (2-50 nm) can be tuned in a controlled way by extraction of metals from carbides, providing a mechanism for the optimization of adsorption systems for selective adsorption of a large variety of biomolecules. Furthermore, Vinu and coworkers have successfully developed the synthesis of... 

The mesoporous materials reported above are usually prepared from relatively expensive surfactants. Some of them have poor hydrothermal stability. Furthermore, the MCM-41 host structure has a one-dimensional pore system with consequent pore blockage and diffusion limitations. Shan et al. (52) reported the synthesis of a three-dimensional and randomly connected mesoporous titano-silicate (Ti-TUD-1, mesopore wall thickness = 2.5-4 nm, surface area — 700-1000 m2/g, tunable pore size —4.5-5.7 nm) from triethanolamine (TEA). Ti-TUD-1 showed higher activity (about 5.6 times) for cyclohexene epoxidation than the framework-substituted Ti-MCM-41. Its activity was similar to that of the Ti-grafted MCM-41 (52). 

Textural mesoporosity is a feature that is quite frequently found in materials consisting of particles with sizes on the nanometer scale. For such materials, the voids in between the particles form a quasi-pore system. The dimensions of the voids are in the nanometer range. However, the particles themselves are typically dense bodies without an intrinsic porosity. This type of material is quite frequently found in catalysis, e.g., oxidic catalyst supports, but will not be dealt with in the present chapter. Here, we will learn that some materials possess a structural porosity with pore sizes in the mesopore range (2 to 50 nm). The pore sizes of these materials are tunable and the pore size distribution of a given material is typically uniform and very narrow. The dimensions of the pores and the easy control of their pore sizes make these materials very promising candidates for catalytic applications. The present chapter will describe these rather novel classes of mesoporous silica and carbon materials, and discuss their structural and catalytic properties. 

In summary, nanometer-sized mesoporous silica and alumina spheres with tunable diameters (80 - 900 nm) can be synthesized in organic solvent. Mesoporous silica spheres templated by cationic surfactant (CTAB) have hexagonal array with monodispersed pore size (-2.4 nm), high surface areas (-1020 m2/g), and pore volume (1.02 cm3/g). Mesoporous alumina spheres templated by amphiphilic triblock copolymer show a large disordered mesopore (10.0 nm) and high BET surface area (360 m2/g). 

Since the disclosure by Mobil of Micelle-Templated Silicate structures called MCM-41 (hexagonal symmetry) or MCM-48 (cubic symmetry) [1,2] many other structures have been synthesized using different surfactants and different synthesis conditions. All of these Micelle-Templated Silicas (MTS) have attracted much interest in fields as diverse as catalysis, adsorption, waste treatment and nanotechnology. MTS materials possess a high surface area ( 1000 m2/g), high pore volume ( 1 mL/g), tunable pore size (18-150 A), narrow pore size distribution, adjustable wall thickness (5-20 A). The silica walls can be doped with different metals for catalytic applications, like Al orTi, for acidic or oxydation reactions, respectively. 

Using an elegant approach, Che et al. prepared chiral mesoporous silica using bio-inspired surfactants [63]. The trimethylammonium group of the quaternary amine used as a surfactant in the synthesis of MCM-41 (CTAB) was replaced by L-alanine. The chirality of the amino acid in the polar head of the surfactant induces chirality in the micelle used as template (see Figure 3.15). This simple modification in the surfactant allowed the preparation of the first chiral mesoporous silica with tunable pore size and ordered porosity. A key step in this synthesis is the transfer of the chirality from the surfactant to the solid, which was accomplished by electrostatic interaction between the terminal amino acid and the... 

The wide range of pore sizes available, coupled with their tunable acidity, endows the zeolites with unique properties as tailor-made (acid) catalysts. These important features of zeolites (and zeotypes) may be summarized as follows ... 

Johnson S. A., Ollivier P. J., and Mallouk T. E., Ordered mesoporous polymers of tunable pore size from colloidal silica templates. Science 283 (1999) pp. 963-968. 

Lee, K.T. and Oh, S.M. (2002). Novel synthesis of porous carbons with tunable pore size by surfactant-templated sol-gel process and carbonisation. Chem. Commun., 22, 2722—3. 

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