Highly active 2D hexagonal mesoporous titanium silicate synthesized using a cationic-anionic mixed-surfactant assembly

New highly ordered 2D hexagonal mesoporous titanium silicate materials have been synthesized using a mixture of anionic ( sodium lauryl sulfate, SDS) and cationic ( cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) surfactants as the structure-directing agent (SDA) in the presence of tartaric acid ( TA) as a mineralizer of Ti. XRD, N-2 adsorption, and TEM data indicate that these mesoporous materials have very high surface areas (1136- 1418 m(2) g(-1)) and highly ordered pore arrangements. N-2 adsorption studies further suggest that, in addition to uniform mesopores, small micropores with average diameters of ca. 0.58 nm also exist in the pore wall. UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopic studies indicate the incorporation of highly dispersed tetrahedral titanium(IV) species in the silica mesophase. These mesoporous titanium silicate samples showed excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the epoxidation of styrene using dilute aqueous H2O2 as the oxidant.