Effect of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene dosage on the characteristics and activity of Fe(III) loaded mesocellular foam catalyst in the degradation of acid red B dye in aqueous solution

•Synthesis of Fe(III) incorporated mesocellular foam.•Effect of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) amount in the synthesis.•Transformation from hexagonal structures into lamellar.•Elucidation of changes in the surface and textural properties.•Increased catalytic degradation of acid red B (ARB) dye with increasing TMB content.

Various mesocellular foam (MCF) materials were synthesized by modifying the preparation method of SBA-15 with 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) which functioned as a swelling agent. The TMB dosage was varied from 0 to 4 g to elucidate the effects on the properties of the material. Without TMB, the normal SBA-15 structure with lengthy rods arranged in bundles was observed. Structural changes from hexagonal to a mixture of lamellar and MCF, and subsequently to a fully developed MCF was observed after the amount of TMB was increased from 0 to 4.0 g. The increase in the amount of TMB significantly affected the surface morphology and mesostructure of the silica materials. Effects of Fe incorporation into the materials on their surface and structural properties were also elucidated. Catalytic degradation of acid red B (ARB) dye was carried out and the performance increased with the increase in the TMB content and dropped drastically when the amount of TMB exceeded 4.0 g.

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