A Soft and Efficient Approach for Removal of Template from Mesoporous Silica using Benzene Sulfonamide

In this contribution, an effective and soft method for removal of template from nanochannels of mesoporous silica (MCM-41) is proposed. This method is based on chemically-modified solvent extraction which enhanced by means of an auxiliary organic compound, i.e. benzene sulfonamide. Template removal was performed in soft condition, i.e. in the presence of diluted sulfuric acid and at ambient temperature. Presence of benzene sulfonamide extremely improves efficiency of template removal process. The template-extracted mesoporous silica was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, elemental analysis and FT-IR spectrometry. Results of XRD, nitrogen adsorption, and TEM displayed that well-ordered hexagonal array of mesopores remained intact after extraction. The obtained results from  thermogravimetry, elemental analysis and FT-IR spectrometry indicate that at least up to 94 wt % of template was removed in short time.