Synthesis of periodic mesoporous organosilicas with incorporated aluminium

Abstract

Periodic mesoporous organosilicas with –CH₂–CH₂– bridges and different amounts of aluminium have been synthesised using a one-step templating method with cationic surfactants. The retention of aluminium in the hybrid organosilica framework was ensured by the template removal procedure with much lower concentrations of HCl in ethanol in comparision with typically used methods. The template-extracted solids display large surface area (above 800 m² g⁻¹) and pore volume (above 1.13 cm³ g⁻¹) and aluminium in predominantly tetrahedral coordination. The coupling of Al(4) with –CH₂–CH₂– bridges on the pore surface might offer new prospects for the application of periodic mesoporous organosilicas in catalysis.