Mesoporous phenylene-silica hybrid materials with 3D-cage pore structures

Mesoporous phenylene-silica materials with three-dimensional-cage structures were synthesized from a phenylene-bridged disilane precursor [(EtO)(3)-Si-C6H4-Si-OEt)(3)] using various surfactants. Compared to ID-channel type materials, the 3D-cage mesoporous materials have an advantage of easy access and diffusion of molecules inside the pores. The materials obtained using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C(16)TMA(+)Br(-)) or hexadecylpyridinium chloride (C16Py+Cl-) show spherical morphology with a 3D-cage pore architecture and cubic symmetry. The use of triblock copolymer F88 [(EO)(100)-(PO)(39)-(EO)(100)] resulted in a 3D-cage type mesoporous material with microporosity in the pore walls. All the materials have high thermal stability of up to 773 K. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.