Mesostructure of Mesoporous Silica/Anodic Alumina Hierarchical Membranes Tuned with Ethanol

Hierarchically structured membranes composed of mesoporous silica embedded inside the channels of anodic alumina (MS-AAM) were synthesized using the aspiration method. Ethanol is shown to have a significant effect on the type and organization of the mesoporous silica phase. Detailed textural analysis revealed that the pore size distribution of the mesoporous silica narrows and the degree of ordering increases with decreasing ethanol concentration used in the synthesis mixture. The silica mesopores were synthesized with pores as small as 6 nm in diameter, with the channel direction oriented in lamellar, circular, and columnar directions depending on the ethanol content. This study reveals ethanol concentration as a key factor behind the synthesis of an ordered mesoporous silica-anodic alumina membrane that can increase its functionality for membrane-based applications

Effect of stirring rate on the morphology of FDU-12 mesoporous silica particles

Ordered mesoporous FDU-12 silica particles with different morphologies were synthesized by varying the stirring rate. The mesoporous structure and textural properties of the FDU-12 samples were characterized by N2 adsorption and desorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering. The influence of the stirring conditions on the morphology was demonstrated, as the FDU-12 particle morphology changes from a regular, hexagonal platelet to a poorly defined shape when the stirring rate is changed from slow to fast. At very fast stirring rate, shear influences the mesophase structure, although the pore diameter and wall thickness remain unchanged

Anodic alumina-templated synthesis of mesostructured silica membranes-current status and challenges

Numerous fabrication methods have been employed in the preparation of anodic alumina-confined, ordered mesoporous silica membranes. The sol-gel and aspiration techniques appear to be the most promising, but realizing a completely filled, crack free, hybrid membrane is still a challenge on macroscopic scales. Presented in this paper are current synthetic challenges involved in the formation of such a hierarchically structured membrane. Overcoming these challenges is essential to use these hybrid materials for membrane separations

Mesostructure of Mesoporous Silica/Anodic Alumina Hierarchical Membranes Tuned with Ethanol (vol 33, pg 4823, 2017)

Correction to “Mesostructure of Mesoporous Silica/Anodic Alumina Hierarchical Membranes Tuned with Ethanol