One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of a mesoporous SiO2-graphene hybrid with tunable surface area and pore size

► A one-pot hydrothermal synthesis was used to prepare a mesoporous SiO2-graphene hybrid from tetraethyl ortho silicate (TEOS) and graphene oxide (GO) without any surfactant. ► The synthesis technique combines protection, reduction and functionalization in one step. ► Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms showed that the hybrid was tunable in surface area, pore size and its distribution by simple adjustment of the mass ratio of TEOS and GO.