In this work, we
developed a novel strategy to synthesize porous (alumino)silicate
materials using a single structure-directing agent composed of an
imidazole unit with a hydrophobic tail, namely, 1,2-dimethyl-3-hexadecyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium
bromide (C16dMImz). A wide range of products such as ordered
mesoporous silicas, layered silica–alumina, and hierarchically
porous mordenite zeolite were obtained by varying synthesis parameters
such as temperature and aluminum concentration. By changing crystallization
temperature, we could control the degree of silica condensation and
tune the textural and morphological properties of the final materials.
By varying the aluminum concentration in the gel, we can obtain mesoporous
amorphous silica–alumina or crystalline mordenite zeolite with,
respectively, weak and strong Brønsted acid sites. Obtained acidic
silica–alumina materials displayed promising performance in
catalytic reactions of linear paraffin hydroisomerization and Friedel–Crafts
alkylation of benzene with benzyl alcohol.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.