Single crystal particles of a mesoporous mixed transition metal oxide with a wormhole structure

Formation of mesoporous calcium sulfate microspheres through phase conversion in controlled calcination

Mesoporous calcium sulfate microspheres with uniform size distribution and suitable loading capacity were prepared by controlled phase conversion for drug loading.

Ordered mesoporous NiO with thin pore walls and its enhanced sensing performance for formaldehyde

A class of formaldehyde (HCHO) gas sensors with a high response were developed based on ordered mesoporous NiO, which were synthesized via the nanocasting route by directly using mesoporous silica as the hard template. A series of mesoporous NiO with different textural parameters such as specific surface area, pore size, pore wall thickness were achieved by selecting mesoporous silica with different pore sizes as templates. The gas sensing properties for formaldehyde (HCHO) of the NiO specimens were examined. The results show that this mesoporous NiO possesses a much higher response to HCHO even at low concentration levels than the bulk NiO, and a larger specific surface area and pore size as well as thinner pore walls would be beneficial for enhancing the sensing properties of NiO.

Synthesis of highly strained mesostructured SrTiO(3)/BaTiO(3) composite films with robust ferroelectricity

A new class of highly stable ferroelectric material, that is, a mesostructured SrTiO(3)/BaTiO(3) composite film, obtained by a surfactant-templated sol-gel method is reported. Due to the concave surface geometry and abundant hetero-interface between SrTiO(3) (ST) and BaTiO(3) (BT) phases, a large number of strains can be created in the composite film, thereby leading to dramatic enhancement of ferroelectric property (see scheme).

Fullerene crystals with bimodal pore architectures consisting of macropores and mesopores

A new class of fullerene (C(60)) crystals with bimodal pore architectures consisting of macropores and mesopores was synthesized by using a liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method involving an interface between isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and a saturated solution of C(60) in a mixture of benzene and carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)). By varying the mixing fraction of CCl(4) in benzene, the porosity and electrochemically active surface area can be flexibly controlled.

Organic-Containing Mesoporous Silicas with a Variety of Mesophases and a Periodic Pore Wall Structure

In this report we introduce new types of organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous materials, in which organic and inorganic moieties are distributed homogeneously at the molecular level in the framework, forming a covalently bonded network. Possessing unique surfaces on which both organic and inorganic components are exposed, these materials are expected to have applications in various areas as catalysts, adsorbents and separators, and as hosts for nano-cluster synthesis. The hybrid mesoporous materials showed not only unique surface properties but also unique structural features in micron- or angstrom-scales. Mesoporous materials containing ethylene groups in the main framework formed a variety of particle morphologies of hexagonal rod, spherical, and decaoctahedral shapes in the sizes of 1-10 μm. Mesoporous material containing phenylene groups showed novel crystal-like 7.6 Å periodicity in the pore walls. The mesoporous material has periodically arranged hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces, which is a great advantage for use as catalyst and host material for inclusion chemistry.

Catalytic Benzene Alkylation over Mesoporous Zeolite Single Crystals: Improving Activity and Selectivity with a New Family of Porous Materials

Mesoporous zeolite single-crystal catalysts are shown to be both more active and more selective than conventional zeolite catalysts in the alkylation of benzene with ethene. The superior catalytic properties are ascribed to improved mass transport in the mesoporous zeolite crystals. Thus, mesoporous zeolite single-crystal catalysts combine the high acidity, shape-selectivity, and hydrothermal stability of zeolites with the efficient mass transport that is typically achieved in mesoporous materials.

An ordered mesoporous organosilica hybrid material with a crystal-like wall structure

Surfactant-mediated synthesis strategies are widely used to fabricate ordered mesoporous solids in the form of metal oxides, metals, carbon and hybrid organosilicas. These materials have amorphous pore walls, which could limit their practical utility. In the case of mesoporous metal oxides, efforts to crystallize the framework structure by thermal and hydrothermal treatments have resulted in crystallization of only a fraction of the pore walls. Here we report the surfactant-mediated synthesis of an ordered benzene-silica hybrid material; this material has an hexagonal array of mesopores with a lattice constant of 52.5 A, and crystal-like pore walls that exhibit structural periodicity with a spacing of 7.6 A along the channel direction. The periodic pore surface structure results from alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers, composed of silica and benzene, respectively. We believe that this material is formed as a result of structure-directing interactions between the benzene-silica precursor molecules, and between the precursor molecules and the surfactants. We expect that other organosilicas and organo-metal oxides can be produced in a similar fashion, to yield a range of hierarchically ordered mesoporous solids with molecular-scale pore surface periodicity.