Synthesis of periodic mesoporous organosilicas functionalized with different amine-organoalkoxysilanes via direct co-condensation

• Periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) were functionalized via co-condensation.
• Long-chain organosilane with three amine units was employed a precursor.
• Hexagonal mesostructure of PMO was preserved at a 40 mol% loading level.
• Amine-functionalized PMOs had a high surface area and total pore volume.
• Their morphology depended on the concentration and type of organosilane used.

A series of amine-functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) were synthesized from bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane via surfactant-templating using supramolecular assemblies of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride under basic conditions. Functionalization of the PMO materials was performed via direct co-condensation in the presence of mono-, di- or tri-amine-organoalkoxysilanes. The effect of the type and concentration of the added organosilanes on the physicochemical properties of the functionalized PMOs were investigated. Thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of the inorganic–organic hybrid framework functionalized with the amine groups. The total nitrogen content of the functionalized PMOs ranged from 0.26 to 1.27 mmol/g. The materials possessed a hexagonal lattice with the highly ordered mesostructure being preserved after the amine-functionalization as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The N2 adsorption–desorption measurement revealed that the materials had high specific surface areas (963–1252 m2/g) and a relatively high total pore volume (0.52–0.85 cm3/g). The mesopore size and wall thickness of these materials varied in relation with the molecular size and the loading of the organosilanes. Moreover, the morphology of the PMO materials was increasingly transformed from irregular shaped particles to spheres with increasing amounts of amine-functional groups or with organo-functional groups with several amine units.

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