Role of amphiphilic organic additives in design of silica materials with ordered mesoporous structure

Templated sol-gel synthesis of silica materials with hexagonally ordered mesoporous structure was realized in the presence of amphiphilic organic compounds (azo dyes, bile acid, cyclic oligosaccharide) as cosurfactants and alkoxysilane derivatives prepared on their basis as structure-forming silanes. The effect of auxiliary agents on mesoporous structure of resulting silicas was estimated by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption and x-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that introduction of moderate amounts of amphiphilic organic additives or their alkoxysilane derivatives in sol-gel reaction mixture causes formation of silica materials with higher surface area and more distinct long-range ordered pore system. Obtained results open up new opportunities for synthesis of MCM-41-type silica materials with improved structural characteristics.