One pot synthesis of ordered mesoporous organosilica particles bearing propyl-, octyl- and hexadecyl-chains

New hybrid organic-inorganic materials exhibiting ordered mesoporous structures have been synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane and various alkyltrimethoxysilanes with increasing length of the hydrocarbon chain (propyl, octyl, hexadecyl), in water-ethanol solution containing ammonia, in the presence of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) as templating agent. The obtained hybrid materials were characterized by using several physico-chemical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, N-2 adsorption, Si-29 MAS NMR, SEM and elemental analysis. It was shown that the direct synthesis procedure allows obtaining ordered hybrid mesoporous silica with various contents of organic functions, from 5 to 20 %. Moreover, increasing the chain length of the organic group, from propyl to octyl and hexadecyl leads to a change of the pore structure from hexagonal p6mm MCM-41 type architecture to cubic Ia3d MCM-48 type mesostructure.