The synthesis of mesoporous silica materials has been achieved with d-glucose as a
nonsurfactant pore-forming agent in the sol−gel reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate under
basic or near neutral (pH 6) conditions. Regardless of the pH values of the medium,
transparent and monolithic glucose-containing silica gels could be obtained. d-Glucose was
removed by water extraction to afford silica materials with high specific surface area of
∼800 m2/g, pore volume of ∼0.5 cm3/g, and narrow pore distribution with BJH pore diameter
of 3.2−3.5 nm, indicative of the mesoporosity. As the glucose concentration is increased in
the synthesis, these pore parameters generally increase, and the N2 sorption isotherms
gradually transform from reversible type I to type IV-like isotherms with H2 hysteresis. At
low glucose concentrations (<36 wt %), both micropores and mesopores contribute to the
porosity of the materials. However, at high glucose concentrations (36−64 wt %), mesopores
are dominant. The characteristics of pore structures are similar to those for the materials
obtained under acid catalysis. The aggregation or assembly of the aggregates of the glucose
molecules and their hydrogen-bonding interactions with the silicate species might direct
the mesophase formation.
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