Synthesis and characterization of ordered hexagonal and cubic mesoporous tin oxides via mixed-surfactant templates route

Ordered hexagonal and cubic mesoporous tin oxides were synthesized for the first time in the presence of mixed cationic and neutral surfactants (a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide cationic surfactant and dodecylamine neutral surfactant) with different alkali and simple inorganic precursors at room temperature. In the synthesis systems, the dodecylamine neutral surfactant may function as a polar organic cosolvent and cosurfactant. The formation of the tin oxide mesostructured material was proposed to be due to the presence of hydrogen-bonding interactions between the supramolecular template and inorganic precursors Sn4+ and OH−, which were assumed to self-assemble around the cationic surfactant molecules. The materials are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm. The surface areas of materials evaluated from the N2 sorption isotherms are about 248 m2/g for hexagonal mesoporous tin oxide (SnH) and 281 m2/g for cubic mesoporous tin oxide (Sn-C) for calcination at 350 °C.