Interfacial Assembly and Applications of Functional Mesoporous Materials

Abstract

Functional mesoporous materials have gained tremendous attention due to their distinctive properties and potential applications. In recent decades, the self-assembly of micelles and framework precursors into mesostructures on the liquid−solid, liquid−liquid, and gas−liquid interface has been explored in the construction of functional mesoporous materials with diverse compositions, morphologies, mesostructures, and pore sizes. Compared with the one-phase solution synthetic approach, the introduction of a two-phase interface in the synthetic system changes self-assembly behaviors between micelles and framework species, leading to the possibility for the on-demand fabrication of unique mesoporous architectures. In addition, controlling the interfacial tension is critical to manipulate the self-assembly process for precise synthesis. In particular, recent breakthroughs based on the concept of the "monomicelles" assembly mechanism are very promising and interesting for the synthesis of functional mesoporous materials with the precise control. In this review, we highlight the synthetic strategies, principles, and interface engineering at the macroscale, microscale, and nanoscale for oriented interfacial assembly of functional mesoporous materials over the past 10 years. The potential applications in various fields, including adsorption, separation, sensors, catalysis, energy storage, solar cells, and biomedicine, are discussed. Finally, we also propose the remaining challenges, possible directions, and opportunities in this field for the future outlook.

Versatile synthesis of dendritic mesoporous rare earth–based nanoparticles

“…In many applications (especially in catalysis), the performances always depend on the surface exposure of the rare earth ions (9,10). Benefiting from the merits of high surface area, low density, and abundant pore architectures, the introduction of mesopore channels with controllable architectures into the frameworks of rare earth-based nanoparticles provides an excellent choice for the further enrichment of their feature sets and applications (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

Nanoarchitectured prototypes of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for innovative biomedical applications

“…Notably, the precise control over the interfacial tensions during the self-assembly of surfactant micelles and subsequent silica condensation rates lead to controllable particle size and shapes, as well as tunable pore sizes [ 60 ]. Owing to these facts, it is appropriate to construct various mesostructures ranging from disordered structures to ordered lamellar architectures.…”

“…Owing to these facts, it is appropriate to construct various mesostructures ranging from disordered structures to ordered lamellar architectures. However, optimizing reaction conditions is often necessary for the precise synthesis of uniform-sized mesoporous nanoarchitectures [ 23 , 60 ]. Although the excellent topological and morphological attributes of the MSNs offer desirable properties, these features could be well-regulated by altering various factors of the synthesis conditions, i.e., formulation (surfactant, silica, and solvent) and processing/reaction (pH, temperature, and stirring speed) [ 23 , 40 , 61 ].…”

Highly Luminescent Copper(I) Halide Phosphors Encapsulated in Fumed Silica for Anti‐Counterfeiting and Color‐Converting Applications

“…The use of fumed silica as a binder or a flow aid in industry products will confer thixotropy, particle suspension, sag resistance, emulsifiability, reinforcement, flow enhancement of powders, anti-blocking, anti-caking, etc. [40][41][42][43] In this work, we reported the highly luminescent copper(I) halide phosphors, which were aqueous mechanochemically synthesized via encapsulated 18-crown-6 coordinated copper(I) halide complexes into a commercial hydrophilic fumed silica. [44,45] The hydrophilic surface of silica with large surface area and rich hydroxyl groups afforded the perfect 3D frameworks to confine the crystal growth of Cu(I) complexes.…”