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Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

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Special Issue Information
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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 12703

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Isabel Diaz

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Guest Editor

CSIC-Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica (ICP), Madrid, Spain
Interests: synthesis and characterization of zeolites; mesoporous materials; hybrid systems for application in catalysis; transmission electronic microscopy; natural zeolites in the removal of fluoride and arsenic from drinking water

Dr. Alfonso Garcia-Bennett

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Molecular Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Interests: supramolecular chemistry; mesoporous silica; nanomedicine; nanoimmunology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mesoporous materials are a class of porous materials with pores sizes between 2 and 50 nm that are extensively used as adsorbents, catalysts, and supports of active centers or in host–guest applications for different kinds of molecules. Since their initial discovery in 1992, we have witnessed a rapid evolution in the variety of synthesis conditions, available media, and chemistry. The controversial nature of their structure—lying at the border between crystals and being amorphous—is given by the arrangement of the emptiness, rather than the atomic order. Characterization tools devoted to expanding their potential properties have been pursued, with their study facing challenges mainly due to the uniqueness granted by their amorphous nature. The initially envisaged applications in catalysis—inherited from the zeolite world—soon expanded into many other research fields, including health-related applications. This Special Issue of Molecules aims at gathering recent developments in the synthesis and characterization of ordered mesoporous materials or mesostructured materials, developed ad hoc for both new and old applications. Contributions are invited that represent breakthroughs in this field from dealing with tailor-made surfactants, pore sizes, pore surface chemistry, particle morphology, outer particle functionalization, and any other tools needed for their design and to understand their potential uses.

Dr. Isabel Diaz
Dr. Alfonso Garcia-Bennett
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

ordered mesoporous materials
mesostructured materials
surfactants
mesoporous nanoparticles
applications of mesoporous materials
characterization of mesoporous materials

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spray Deposition Synthesis of Locally Ordered Mesoporous Polycrystalline Titania Films at Low Temperature

by Gunnar Símonarson, Antiope Lotsari and Anders E. C. Palmqvist

Molecules 2022, 27(1), 303; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27010303 - 04 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1422

Abstract

A low-temperature spray deposition synthesis was developed to prepare locally hexagonally ordered mesoporous titania films with polycrystalline anatase pore walls in an evaporation-induced self-assembly process. The titania film preparation procedure is conducted completely at temperatures below 50 °C. The effects of spray time, film thickness, synthesis time prior to spray deposition, and aging time at high relative humidity after deposition on the atomic arrangement and the mesoorder of the mesoporous titania were studied. We find the crystallite size to depend on both the synthesis time and aging time of the films, where longer times result in larger crystallites. Using the photocatalytic activity of titania, the structure-directing agent is removed with UV radiation at 43–46 °C. The capability of the prepared films to remove the polymer template increased with longer synthesis and aging times due to the increased crystallinity, which increases the photocatalytic efficiency of the titania films. However, with increasingly longer times, the crystallites grow too large for the mesoorder of the pores to be maintained. This work shows that a scalable spray coating method can be used to prepare locally ordered mesoporous polycrystalline titania films by judiciously tuning the synthesis parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

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13 pages, 10404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Equilibrium and Kinetic Study of l- and d-Valine Adsorption in Supramolecular-Templated Chiral Mesoporous Materials

by Yanan Huang and Alfonso E. Garcia-Bennett

Molecules 2021, 26(2), 338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26020338 - 11 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1883

Abstract

Adsorption kinetic studies are conducted to investigate the potential to use chiral mesoporous materials nanoporous guanosine monophosphate material-1 (NGM-1) and nanoporous folic acid material-1 (NFM-1) for the enantiomeric separation of l- and d-valine. A pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model is applied to test the experimental adsorption equilibrium isotherms, according to both the Langmuir and Freundlich models and the characteristic parameters for each model are determined. The calcined versions of both NGM-1 and NFM-1 fit the Langmuir model with maximum sorption capacities of 0.36 and 0.26 g/g for the preferred adsorption enantiomers, d-valine and l-valine, respectively. Experimental results and the analysis of adsorption models suggest a strong adsorbate–adsorbent interaction, and the formation of a monolayer of tightly packed amino acid on the internal mesopore surface for the preferred enantiomers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

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19 pages, 7492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modulation of the Activity of Gold Clusters Immobilized on Functionalized Mesoporous Materials in the Oxidation of Cyclohexene via the Functional Group. The Case of Aminopropyl Moiety

by Ana Mato, Javier Agúndez, Carlos Márquez-Álvarez, Álvaro Mayoral and Joaquín Pérez-Pariente

Molecules 2020, 25(23), 5756; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25235756 - 06 Dec 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1810

Abstract

Gold nanoclusters and isolated gold atoms have been produced in a two-liquid phase procedure that involves a solution of gold in aqua regia and rosemary essential oil as organic layer. These gold entities have been immobilized on the ordered mesoporous silica material SBA-15 functionalized with different amounts of aminopropyl groups. The resulting materials have been characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption, chemical analysis, TGA, ²⁹Si MAS NMR, ¹³C CP/MAS NMR, UV-vis spectroscopy, XPS, and STEM. The Au-containing materials retain the ordering and porosity of the pristine support. Gold content varies in the range of 0.07–0.7 wt% as a function of the specific immobilization conditions, while STEM evidences the presence of isolated gold atoms. XPS shows a shift of the Au 4f BE toward values lower than those of metallic gold. The catalytic activity in the oxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen at atmospheric pressure parallels the Au content of the aminopropyl-SBA-15 supports. This activity is higher than that of analogous Au entities immobilized on SBA-15 functionalized with thiol or sulfonate groups, the activity decreasing in the order Au-NH₂ > Au-SO₃⁻ > Au-SH. This behavior has been attributed to differences in the interaction strength between the functional group and the Au entities, which is optimum for the aminopropyl groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

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12 pages, 5755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Controlling Particle Morphology and Pore Size in the Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Materials

by Yaregal Awoke, Yonas Chebude and Isabel Díaz

Molecules 2020, 25(21), 4909; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25214909 - 23 Oct 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2662

Abstract

Ordered mesoporous materials have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in catalysis, adsorption, and separation technologies, as well as biomedical applications. In the present manuscript, we aim at a rational design to obtain the desired surface functionality (Ti and/or hydrophobic groups) while obtaining short channels (short diffusion paths) and large pore size (>10 nm). Santa Barbara Amorphous material SBA-15 and periodic mesoporous organosilica PMO materials are synthesized using Pluronic PE 10400 (P104) surfactant under mild acidic conditions to obtain hexagonal platelet-like particles with very short mesochannels (300–450 nm). The use of expanders, such as 1, 3, 5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) and 1, 3, 5-triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) were tested in order to increase the pore size. TMB yielded in the formation of vesicles in all the syntheses attempted, whereas P104 combined with TIPB resulted both in expanded (E) E-SBA-15 and E-PMO with 12.3 nm pore size short channel particles in both cases. Furthermore, the synthesis method was expanded to the incorporation of small amount of Ti via co-condensation method using titanocene as titanium source. As a result, Ti-E-SBA-15 was obtained with 15.5 nm pore size and isolated Ti-sites maintaining platelet hexagonal morphology. Ti-PMO was obtained with 7.8 nm and short channels, although the pore size under the tried synthesis conditions could not be expanded further without losing the structural ordering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

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Review

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21 pages, 6430 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chiral Mesoporous Silica Materials: A Review on Synthetic Strategies and Applications

by Mingshu Cui, Wei Zhang, Luyao Xie, Lu Chen and Lu Xu

Molecules 2020, 25(17), 3899; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25173899 - 27 Aug 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4209

Abstract

Because of its tunable textural properties and chirality feature, chiral mesoporous silica (CMS) gained significant consideration in many fields and has been developed rapidly in recent years. In this review, we provide an overview of synthesis strategies for fabricating CMS together with its main applications. The properties of CMS, including morphology and mesostructures and enantiomer excess (ee), can be altered according to the synthetic conditions during the synthesis process. Despite its primary stage, CMS has attracted extensive attention in many fields. In particular, CMS nanoparticles are widely used for enantioselective resolution and adsorption of chiral compounds with desirable separation capability. Also, CMS acts as a promising candidate for the effective delivery of chiral or achiral drugs to produce a chiral-responsive manner. Moreover, CMS also plays an important role in chromatographic separations and asymmetric catalysis. There has been an in-depth review of the synthetic methods and mechanisms of CMS. And this review aims to give a deep insight into the synthesis and application of CMS, especially in recent years, and highlights the significance that it may have in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ordered Mesoporous Materials: New Developments in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

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