Synthesis and characterization of a mesoporous silica microsphere from polystyrene

Even though there are several methods available in literature to synthesis mesoporous silica nanosphere, the method suitable for cosmetic applications is none. There are two different methods are known for possible encapsulation of ultraviolet ray absorber (2,2',4,4'-tetrahydroxy benzophenone). They are pre- and post-synthesis modification. In this report, we have succeeded by pre synthesis modification. Further, we have used polystyrene and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride as template for the first time to synthesis mesoporous silica nanosphere. The synthesized material was characterized by several physicochemical techniques. The results show that the synthesized material is mesoporous, which can hold good number for ultraviolet ray absorber. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.