A facile synthesis route for preparing SBA-15 silica of platelet shape and very short mesochannels (150-350 nm) was developed by introducing a small amount of Zr(IV) ions in the synthesis solution.The synthesis route can be easily extended to prepare platelet SBA-15 materials with various organic functional groups up to 1.87 mmol/g loading in one pot. In situ XRD and freeze-fracture replication TEM were found to be powerful techniques for studying the self-assembly processes. The platelet SBA-15 with short mesochannels in 150-350 nm was formed because of the fast self-assembly rate of P123 micelles and TEOS accelerated by the Zr(IV) ions in the synthesis solution. The platelet SBA-15 materials are superior to the conventional SBA-15 of rod or fiber morphologies in facilitating molecular diffusion and less possibility of pore blockage when used in the sorption or reactions of bulky molecules.

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