One-pot synthesis of ordered and stable cubic mesoporous silica SBA-1 functionalized with amino functional groups

Well-ordered and stable aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous SBA-1 materials have been prepared by co-condensation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) or tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) using cetyltriethylammonium bromide (CTEABr) as pore-directing agent under strong acidic conditions. Prehydrolysis of TMOS prior to the addition of APTMS was a preliminary and key step for preparation of the well-ordered SBA-1 materials with amino functionality under acidic conditions. Solid-state 13C and 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopy demonstrated the successful incorporation of the aminopropyl groups in SBA-1. The aminopropyl-functionalized SBA-1 materials prepared with the acid medium H2SO4 showed better structural properties than those prepared with the acid medium HCl. A facile synthesis route by using sucrose as an auxiliary agent was developed to prepare amino-functionalized SBA-1 materials with excellent textural properties.