Removal of organic templates from mesoporous SBA-15 at room temperature using UV/dilute H2O2

A new UV/dilute H2O2 method has been developed to remove organic templates from mesoporous silica SBA-15. This method combines UV irradiation and dilute H2O2 treatment, allowing complete removal of the organic templates in 3–4 h at room temperature. Effects of two important factors, pH value and initial H2O2 concentration, have been investigated to search for the optimum condition of template removal. Detailed characterizations of the samples treated by UV/dilute H2O2 method in comparison with other methods are performed with the aid of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), solid-state 29Si NMR spectra and nitrogen adsorption. The final product resulted from UV/dilute H2O2 treatment has well-defined structure with perfect pore quality. This study provides an easy, cheap, mild and useful method for template removal from mesoporous materials at room temperature.