Control of pore size in mesoporous silica templated by a multiarm hyperbranched copolyether in water and cosolvent

Worm-like mesoporous silica with various pore sizes has been prepared successfully templated by a multiarm hyperbranched copolyether (PEHO-star-PPO). The pore size of the resultant mesoporous materials can be controlled easily through adjusting the ratio of water to cosolvent. As the molar ratio of water to ethanol changes from 0.02 to 0.73, the pore size of the calcined materials can be enlarged from 32 to 94 Å, attributing to the aggregation behavior of the multiarm hyperbranched polymer in different systems. Moreover, the pore size of the obtained mesoporous silica can be also adjusted by selecting different kinds of cosolvent. The polarity and solubility of cosolvents are believed to be two important factors in affecting the pore size. Thus, a facile and efficient method for controlling the pore size of mesoporous silica has been developed by using hyperbranched polymers as templates.