Ultralarge-pore mesoporous silicas with spherical pores were synthesized by adopting commercially available Pluronic F108 (PEO133PPO50PEO133) block copolymer surfactant as the template and using judiciously selected swelling agents. FDU-12 silica with face-centered cubic structure (Fm3m symmetry) and with unit-cell parameter up to ~51 nm was obtained. Calcined silicas had unit-cell parameters up to ~48 nm and pore diameters up to ~22 nm. The pore size and pore accessibility was controlled by adjusting temperature of the hydrothermal treatment. Interestingly, hollow spherical particles were formed by decreasing the precursor/surfactant ratio. By controlling synthetic conditions, such as using different swelling agents, the size of uniform spherical particles can be tuned from 15 nm to 28 nm.

F108-templated formation of ultralarge-pore mesoporous silicas with spherical pores

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.