Bioinspired preparation of monolithic ordered mesoporous silica for enrichment of endogenous peptides

Abstract

In the current study, monolithic ordered mesoporous silica (MOMS) was successfully prepared by a modified Stöber method using natural pomelo peel and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as dual templates. A mesostructured CTAB/silica composite was deposited on the carbohydrate-based surface of the sponge-like pomelo peel. After removing the templates by calcination and acid treatment, MOMS with a continuous skeleton, interconnecting macropores and ultra-high surface area (1120 m² g⁻¹) was obtained. MOMS materials with various and controllable sizes and shapes could be prepared simultaneously in a one-pot synthesis. Small pieces of MOMS (millimeter size) were then applied as the adsorbent to enrich peptides. Owing to the ordered mesoporous structure, the as-prepared MOMS was demonstrated to be an excellent adsorbent for effective enrichment of endogenous peptides from human plasma.