Photochemical modification of the surface area and tortuosity of a trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene periodic mesoporous MCM organosilica

A periodic mesoporous MCM-41 organosilica containing trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (t-BE) (350 m(2) g(-1); 0.28 cm(3) g(-1)) incorporated in the silica walls undergoes photochemical isomerization to the cis configured bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene resulting in a dramatic area (473 m(2) g(-1)) and pore volume (0.38 cm(3) g(-1)) increase.