A simple synthesis of well-ordered super-microporous aluminosilicate

We report a simple preparation of highly ordered super-microporous silica with a surfactant/co-surfactant system containing short-chain cationic surfactant (decyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) and butanol as the templating agents. The XRD data and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm showing the calcined silica exhibits narrow hexagonal (1 0 0) peak with d-spacing as low as 2.28 nm and an adsorption isotherm behavior between those of microporous and mesoporous materials. To confirm the pore size falls in the super-microporous range, we use various methods including nitrogen adsorption and TEM observation to estimate the primary pore diameters at 1.5nm. The results show that we have successfully synthesized porous silica with very uniform pores in the super-microporous regime. The super-microporous materials can also incorporate aluminum up to Si/Al = 30 without structural deterioration.