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A New Synthetic Route to Microporous Silica with Well‐Defined Pores by Replication of a Metal–Organic Framework
Author(s) -
Kondo Atsushi,
Hall Anthony Shoji,
Mallouk Thomas E.,
Maeda Kazuyuki
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201501599
Subject(s) - microporous material , silanol , chemical engineering , hydrophobic silica , materials science , porosity , mesoporous material , adsorption , specific surface area , replica , bet theory , mesoporous silica , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , composite material , art , visual arts , engineering
Microporous amorphous hydrophobic silica materials with well‐defined pores were synthesized by replication of the metal–organic framework (MOF) [Cu 3 (1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylate) 2 ] (HKUST‐1). The silica replicas were obtained by using tetramethoxysilane or tetraethoxysilane as silica precursors and have a micro–meso binary pore system. The BET surface area, the micropore volume, and the mesopore volume of the silica replica, obtained by means of hydrothermal treatment at 423 K with tetraethoxysilane, are 620 m 2 g −1 , 0.18 mL g −1 , and 0.55 mL g −1 , respectively. Interestingly, the silica has micropores with a pore size of 0.55 nm that corresponds to the pore‐wall thickness of the template MOF. The silica replica is hydrophobic, as confirmed by adsorption analyses, although the replica has a certain amount of silanol groups. This hydrophobicity is due to the unique condensation environment of the silica precursors in the template MOF.