Synthesis of highly ordered MCM-41 silica with spherical particles

Highly ordered MCM-41 silica was synthesized by using of optimized blend of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride as a structure-directing agent. The employment of homogeneous precipitation of the solid product from a water solution of sodium metasilicate and the surfactant blend resulted in the formation of very well ordered spherical particles. The material was characterized by scanning as well transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and nitrogen and argon adsorption using a proper non-local density functional theory approach for calculations of the textural parameters. The results obtained show that spherical particles are composed of domains of perfectly ordered hexagonal porous structure.