Low-Cost Synthesis of Bimodal Mesoporous Silica-Based Materials by Pseudomorphic Transformation

Nanoparticulate bimodal porous silica-based materials have been prepared through a surfactant-assisted procedure by using a simple template and starting from inexpensive sodium silicate as silicon source. Different procedural variables, such as pH or the nature and concentration of the surfactant, have been explored to optimize the preparative protocol, which allows, in turn, improved understanding of the formation process. The final bulk materials (called UVM-10 or M-UVM-10) are formed by pseudomorphic transformation of fresh silica-based xerogels under mild basic conditions. The UVM-10 architecture is constructed from small mesoporous nanoparticles, the aggregation of which generates a disordered secondary 3 D pore system (large-meso/macropores) defined by interparticle voids. Modulation of the intraparticle mesopore size is achieved by using surfactants with variable tail lengths, while maintaining the same head group. Textural porosity has been handled independently by hydrothermally modifying the particle size of the reactive silica-based xerogel. By simply adding metal alkoxides to the initial reaction mixture, the preparative protocol allows for functionalizing the silica walls by incorporating relatively high proportions of homogeneously dispersed heteroelements, such as Al and Ti.