Incessant formation of chain-like mesoporous silica with a superior binding capacity for mercury

A novel incessant formation of chain like mesoporous silica (ICMS) has been easily materialized using a mixed surfactant (Pluronic P123 and FC-4) as a structuring reagent in conjunction with a thiol precursor (3-MPS) through a one-pot synthetic method. A particular thiol concentration facilitated the interaction of the micelle head groups to form long-chain micelles, where FC-4 enhanced further growth. The rapid interactions of the micelles and the condensation of silicic acid and its oligomeric derivatives by coordinating 3-MPS through hydrogen bonding interactions leads to form ICMS. The characterization results for the ICMS illustrated that it has an ordered hexagonal pore geometry. The capability of the ICMS for Hg2+ adsorption was extensively studied under different optimal parameters and the adsorption isothermal values clearly fit with the Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal plots. This novel material exhibited an unprecedentedly high binding affinity toward even microgram levels of mercury ions in wastewater, compared to other thiol-based mesoporous silica.