Recent Progress of Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Silica Materials

Microwaves are a source of energy of great interest for chemical synthesis. Among nanomaterials, few are as versatile as silica—it forms mesoporous materials and nanoparticles, it can be incorporated as shells or loaded in composites, it can also be functionalized. Despite the relevant properties of silica, and the advantages of the use of microwave as energy source, its use in silica-based materials is not frequent. We report herein a compilation of the research results published in the last 10 years of microwave assisted synthesis of silica based materials. This review includes examples of mesoporous materials for waste removal, catalysis, drug release, and gas adsorption applications, together with examples based in the optimization of the synthesis conditions. In the case of non-porous materials, examples of analytical applications, coating of metallic nanoparticles, and SiO_x-C materials have been collected.