Novel method to synthesize ordered mesoporous silica with high surface areas

SBA-15 type ordered mesoporous silicas with high surface areas and mesopore volumes have been obtained using H3PO4 as catalyst during the synthesis process. Moreover, the surfactant removal process has been optimized to enhance the textural properties of the resulting materials. Therefore, silica-based ordered mesoporous materials exhibiting surface areas more than twice larger than those of conventional SBA-15 are reported. Additionally, the incorporation of phosphorous centers into the silica framework has been achieved using high amounts of H3PO4 as catalyst during the synthesis process. This textural properties' enhancement makes these materials excellent candidates to be used in several scientific and technological research areas, where high surface areas and mesopore volumes are required. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.