Mesostructured iron and manganese oxides

Despite the great potential for mesostructured transition metal oxides to exhibit interesting properties, strategies for synthesising these materials are much less developed than is the case for the corresponding silicates and aluminosilicates, despite important pioneering work. Here, following such pioneering work, we describe the synthesis of mesostructured iron and manganese oxides by the in situ formation of transition metal alkoxides in the presence of carboxylate or amine surfactants. In the case of the amine surfactant, its removal is possible without collapse of the mesostructure.