Periodic mesoporous silicas via templating of new triblock amphiphilic copolymers

By using atom transfer radical polymerization method, triblock copolymers [(MA)x(EO)77(MA)x] (MA = methyl acrylate) with the hydrophilic chain (PEO) in the center part of the polymers were prepared in a narrow molecular weight distribution. Thus the hydrophilic–hydrophobic portion of the copolymer can be fine-tuned, which provides the use of these polymers as structure directing agents to synthesize highly ordered hexagonal mesoporous silicas. Under acidic conditions, polymers of [(MA)x(EO)77(MA)x] (x = 33–70) provided the synthesis of a 2D hexgonal array of mesopores in uniform orderness.