One-pot synthesis of highly ordered SBA-15 type silica-tethered phosphonic acid at weakly acidic pH (3.75) allows for higher loading of phosphonic functionality (up to 33%) without significant deterioration of the mesostructure. In this synthesis sodium metasilicate was used instead of tetraethylorthosilicate. The resulting samples featured high specific surface areas (362-533 m 2 /g) and well developed mesoporosity. The hexagonal structure and high concentration of phosphonic acid groups (1.0-3.0 mmol/g) in the synthesized samples were established by XRD, TEM, EDS and elemental analysis methods. Since inexpensive sodium metasilicate was used as a source of silica, these materials can be of interest for large scale applications.Experimental studies of the synthesized materials showed that they are effective for extraction of trace uranium species under weak basic conditions (pH 8.3), which are relevant for practical use such as uranium extraction from seawater.
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.