Applications of pore-expanded mesoporous silica. 1. Removal of heavy metal cations and organic pollutants from wastewater

Postsynthesis pore expansion of as-synthesized MCM-41 silica using N,N-dimethyldecylamine affords material A, with open pore structure and readily accessible amine groups. The selective removal of the occluded amine gives rise to B, a highly porous, hydrophobic material with large surface area and pore volume. Materials A and B were found to be fast, sensitive, high-capacity recyclable adsorbents for metallic cations and organic pollutants, respectively.