D. Margolese

Generalized syntheses of large-pore mesoporous metal oxides with semicrystalline frameworks

Surfactants have been shown to organize silica into a variety of mesoporous forms, through the mediation of electrostatic, hydrogen-bonding, covalent and van der Waals interactions. This approach to mesostructured materials has been extended, with sporadic success, to non-silica oxides, which might promise applications involving electron transfer or magnetic interactions. Here we report a simple and versatile procedure for the synthesis of thermally stable, ordered, large-pore (up to 140 Å) mesoporous metal oxides, including TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, Nb2O5, Ta2O5, WO3, HfO2, SnO2, and mixed oxides SiAlO3.5, SiTiO4, ZrTiO4, Al2TiO5 and ZrW2O8. We used amphiphilic poly(alkylene oxide) block copolymers as structure-directing agents in non-aqueous solutions for organizing the network-forming metal-oxide species, for which inorganic salts serve as precursors. Whereas the pore walls of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica are amorphous, our mesoporous oxides contain nanocrystalline domains within relatively thick amorphous walls. We believe that these materials are formed through a mechanism that combines block copolymer self-assembly with complexation of the inorganic species.

Cooperative Formation of Inorganic-Organic Interfaces in the Synthesis of Silicate Mesostructures

A model is presented to explain the formation and morphologies of surfactant-silicate mesostructures. Three processes are identified: multidentate binding of silicate oligomers to the cationic surfactant, preferential silicate polymerization in the interface region, and charge density matching between the surfactant and the silicate. The model explains present experimental data, including the transformation between lamellar and hexagonal mesophases, and provides a guide for predicting conditions that favor the formation of lamellar, hexagonal, or cubic mesostructures. Model Q230 proposed by Mariani and his co-workers satisfactorily fits the x-ray data collected on the cubic mesostructure material. This model suggests that the silicate polymer forms a unique infinite silicate sheet sitting on the gyroid minimal surface and separating the surfactant molecules into two disconnected volumes.

Cooperative Organization of Inorganic-Surfactant and Biomimetic Assemblies

A model that makes use of the cooperative organization of inorganic and organic molecular species into three dimensionally structured arrays is generalized for the synthesis of nanocomposite materials. In this model, the properties and structure of a system are determined by dynamic interplay among ion-pair inorganic and organic species, so that different phases can be readily obtained through small variations of controllable synthesis parameters, including mixture composition and temperature. Nucleation, growth, and phase transitions may be directed by the charge density, coordination, and steric requirements of the inorganic and organic species at the interface and not necessarily by a preformed structure. A specific example is presented in which organic molecules in the presence of multiply charged silicate oligomers self-assemble into silicatropic liquid crystals. The organization of these silicate-surfactant mesophases is investigated with and without interfacial silicate condensation to separate the effects of self-assembly from the kinetics of silicate polymerization.

Fluoride-Induced Hierarchical Ordering of Mesoporous Silica in Aqueous Acid-Syntheses**

The acid-catalyzed synthesis of highly ordered mesostructured materials has led to a variety of twoand three-dimensional periodic symmetries, and has proven to be an effective route for the generation of fibers, spheres, thin films, and other monolithic forms of mesoporous materials. Zhao et al. recently used non-ionic poly(alkylene oxide) block copolymers, under acidic conditions, to prepare well-ordered, hexagonal mesoporous silica, denoted SBA-15, featuring uniform and adjustable large pore sizes combined with thick hydrothermally stable walls. The catalytic effect of fluoride in the synthesis of mesoporous silica at neutral to basic pH has been described by Voegtlin et al. Fluoride has been successfully used to extend the pH range over which anionic silica precursors can be utilized to create organized periodic structures; it has been used to diminish framework defects in zeolites, and to improve the organization in MCM-41 molecular sieves and MSU-X materials. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have been reported on the role of fluoride on cationic silica species in the aqueous acid-synthesis of ordered porous silica. In this communication, we describe the hierarchical ordering effects induced by small amounts of fluoride added during the synthesis of SBA-15-type mesoporous silica under acidic aqueous conditions. The non-ionic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer EO20PO70EO20 (Pluronic P123) has been employed as the structure-directing agent. At low pH, remarkably well-ordered, hydrothermally stable, large hexagonal mesoporous silica rods with uniform channels extending over micrometer-sized length scales, and with few defects, have been synthesized. The fluoride-induced enhancement of order has enabled the preparation of SBA-15 materials at moderate acidity (~ pH 2.5±3) without compromising the long-range hexagonal symmetry. The mesoporous silicas possess narrow pore-size distributions, hydrothermally stable frameworks, large surface areas, and pore volumes of up to 0.92 cm/g. This work has been motivated by our interest in i) the patterning of mesoporous materials ranging from mesoscopic to macroscopic length scales while retaining molecular-level structural control and ii) understanding the underlying mechanism for the acid-catalyzed mesoporous silica synthesis. Addition of small amounts of fluoride (F:Si molar ratios of 0.008 and 0.03; fluoride source: NH4F or (NH4)2SiF6) during the aqueous acidic SBA-15-type silica synthesis induces substantial ordering that is manifested on different length scales: both the mesoscopic structure and the macroscopic morphology of the mesoporous silicas are significantly improved. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has revealed that small amounts of fluoride bring about the formation of large mesoporous silica rods (Fig. 1a) when pre-

Molecular and Atomic Arrays in Nano- and Mesoporous Materials Synthesis

Abstract A model is presented to explain the formation and morphologies of 3-d periodic surfactant-silicate mesostructures. The structures of lamellar, hexagonal tubular and a minimal surface cubic liquid crystal/silicate phase are described.

Synthesis of continuous mesoporous silica thin films with three-dimensional accessible pore structures

Continuous mesoporous silica thin films with three-dimensional (3-D) accessible pore structures (Pm3n, P63/mmc space groups) have been prepared by a dip-coating technique using cationic surfactants as the structure-directing agents in nonaqueous media under acidic conditions.

Small angle neutron scattering study of the structure and formation of MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves

The nanoscale structure and synthesis mechanisms of the MCM-41 class of inorganic mesoporous materials have been investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS measurements with solvents imbibed in the pores to vary the scattering contrast demonstrate that the low angle diffraction peaks from these materials are entirely due to the pore structure and that the pores are fully accessible to both aqueous and organic solvents. Static and shear flow SANS measurements on the concentrated cationic surfactant and silicate precursor solutions typically used in the synthesis of the mesopore materials indicate that the existence of preassembled supramolecular arrays that mimic the final pore structure is not essential for the synthesis of these materials.

Germanium Loaded Zeolite Y: Preparation and Characterization

The cavities of molecular sieves offer an opportunity for synthesis of periodically ordered semiconductor nanoclusters. Ge clusters were synthesized in zeolite Y by thermal decomposition of GeH 4 absorbed in the zeolite cages. Upon inclusion of germanium in proton exchanged zeolite Y (HY), the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows a small change in line positions and considerable change in intensities. No extra reflections were detected in either XRD or transmission electron diffraction (TED) for the samples synthesized at 300°C. These observations are in accordance with the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy data which reveal the presence of germanium within the HY in concentrations higher than 5x10 19 cm -3 . At annealing temperatures higher than 500°C, small Ge crystallites (∼0.2μm) form on the exterior surface of the HY, as documented by TED, TEM and absorption spectroscopy. The results from the absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy of the Ge loaded HY will be discussed.