Synthesis and characterization of Sn or Al-containing SBA-15 mesoporous materials without mineral acids added

A simple and direct-synthesis route without mineral acids added was successfully developed to prepare Sn or Al-containing SBA-15 mesoporous materials with good mesostructural ordering, high surface area and narrow pore-size distribution via evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process in which no mineral acids were added and no hydrothermal treatment was needed. Compared with other direct-synthesis methods of metal ions substituted SBA-15 materials reported early, our synthesis method, with two unique points of no mineral acid and hydrothermal treatment route, is very simple, efficient and energy-saving. These materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 sorption isotherms, TEM with EDS analysis, 27Al MAS NMR, and UV–visible absorption spectra.