Ammonothermal synthesis of a mesoporous si-ti-n composite material from a single-source precursor

The preparation and structure of the novel compound bis(dimethylamino)silylamino-mu-bis[(dimethylamino)silylimino]titanium {Ti[NHSi(NMe2)(3)](2)[mu-NSi(NMe2)(3)]}(2), 1, are reported. Ammonolysis of compound 1 in an autoclave at 160 degrees C gave a mesoporous silicon titanium imide powder, 2, with a high surface area and narrow pore size distribution. A mesoporous Si-Ti-N composite material was obtained after pyrolysis of powder 2 under NH3 flow at 1000 degrees C. The BET surface area is 163 m(2) g(-1), and the average pore diameter is 71 A. The influence of the pyrolysis temperature on the porosity of the product is also discussed on the basis of FTIR and nitrogen physisorption analyses.