Synthesis of cubic hybrid organic-inorganic mesostructures with dodecahedral morphology from a binary surfactant mixture

Synthesis of a cubic ethane-silica hybrid organic-inorganic mesoporous material using a binary surfactant mixture is reported. The system consists of ethane-bridged organosilica (BTME), polyoxyethylene alkyl ether [C-12(EO)(4); Brij 30], and the octadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (C(18)TMACl) surfactants in a basic medium. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis along with transmission electron microscope observation revealed a cubic symmetry of the mesophase and is consistent with the Pm (3) over barn space group. Scanning electron microscope micrographs of material exhibit a well-defined crystal-like dodecahedral morphology with a uniform particle size of 5 mum. Spectroscopic analyses confirmed that an ethane fragment is covalently linked to silica in surfactant-free material. The nitrogen adsorption isotherm shows a type-IV isotherm with a pore diameter of 28 A and a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 744 m(2)g(-1). The presented BTME-alkyltrimethylammonium-C-12(EO)(4)-NaOH-H2O system greatly facilitates the synthesis of cubic (Pm (3) over barn) hybrid mesopahses.