Synthesis and characterization of silica sphere-packing mesoporous materials

In the present study, using the Stobe-Fink-Bohn (SFB) method we synthesize and characterize silica sphere-packing mesoporous materials. The SFB procedure was modified slightly to obtain materials with high specific surface area. The structure and essential features of the materials obtained were studied with the help of scanning electron microscopy and the analysis of isotherms of physical adsorption of N-2 at 77 K. Some of the sphere-packing materials obtained possess a relatively large specific surface area and the presence of a mesoporous structure within the silica spheres has been demonstrated; consequently, these materials could be used as adsorbents, catalysts and other high-surface-area and porosity-related applications. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.