Preparation of nanoporous MgO using gel as structure-direct template

MgO with various nanoscaled pore diameters were formed from magnesium nitrate adsorbed into the gel templates that are synthesized from hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) where the EGDMA worked as the cross-linker. The effects of molar ratio [HEMA]/[EGDMA] in the gel template on the porous structure of MgO formed in the template were investigated. The results indicated that the pore diameter of MgO could be varied by the [HEMA]/[EGDMA] molar ratio which directly affects the templating structure of gel. The smaller pore size and distribution were obtained with the increased molar ratio. The mechanism of the reaction was simply speculated. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.