Fabrication and Analytical Applications of Hybrid Mesoporous Membranes

Abstract

Recently, a hybrid mesoporous membrane composed of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica inside a porous anodic alumina membrane has been developed. Since this membrane allows the use of columnar silica-mesopores (silicananochannels) as nanofluidic channels, separation of molecules can be realized by mass transport through the silicananochannel with molecular dimensions. Here, we review the methods to fabricate the hybrid mesoporous membranes, their structural features, and the analytical applications of hybrid mesoporous membranes.

Trinucleotide duplex formation inside a confined nanospace under supercooled conditions

“…A hybrid mesoporous membrane (HMM) composed of mesoporous silica and porous anodic alumina membrane was prepared using the aspiration method 20,21 . A dense TMAP monolayer (1.4 molecules nm À 2 ) was formed on the inner pore surface of the mesoporous silica using the post-grafting method (Fig.…”

“…The details of TMAP-HMM preparation are described in our previous papers [20][21][22] . A mixture of ethanol (7.68 g), TEOS (11.57 g) and 1 ml of HCl aqueous solution (2.8 mM) was refluxed at 60°C for 90 min.…”

“…Porous anodic alumina membranes (pore diameter ¼ B200 nm, thickness ¼ B60 mm, diameter of membrane ¼ 25 or 47 mm) were obtained from Whatman (Anodisc). The precursor solution was introduced into the columnar alumina pores under moderate aspiration 20,21 . After calcination to remove the template surfactant, the calcined membrane (HMM) was immersed in a mixture of 8.9 ml of 1,4-dioxane, 20.8 ml of 1-hexanol, and 0.3 ml of N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,Ntrimethylammonium chloride (50 wt% in methanol) and heated under reflux for 12 h at 102°C (ref.…”

Microviscosity of Supercooled Water Confined within Aminopropyl-modified Mesoporous Silica as Studied by Time-resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy

“…29 Although the measurement of rotational diffusion time is limited to an optically transparent system without scattering of polarized light, the fluorescence lifetime measurement is applicable to a light-scattering medium. The mesoporous silica specimen used in this study was comprised of mesoporous silica within a porous anodic alumina (PAA) membrane, 30,31 where columnar alumina pores (pore diameter, 200 nm) scatter light (Fig. 1).…”

“…The mesoporous silica specimen used in this study had a quasi-hexagonal pore arrangement and the pore diameter was 3.1 nm, 30,31,34 and RhB molecules were covalently bound to part of the AsP groups on the inner pore surface (Fig. 1).…”