Process for preparation of mesoporous silica and organosilica materials

Abstract

In this invention, we disclose a method as well as silica and/or organosilica mesoporous materials obtained by templating using nanocrystalline cellulose and removal of the latter using acidic conditions. The resultant mesoporous silica materials are characterized by having high surface area with tunable iridescence resulting from the long-range chiral nematic organization. This invention is an improvement over the formation of composite materials formed with nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and silica, where the calcination of the materials led to removal of the cellulose and formation of a mesoporous silica material. Characteristically, the removal of the NCC template using acidic conditions differentiates the silica materials thus obtained in two ways: (1) It does not lead to as significant contraction of the materials as from calcination thereby giving access to materials with larger mesopores; and (2) it allows the formation of mesoporous chiral nematic compositions that include heat-sensitive components. This approach may be used to prepare the first example of a mesoporous organosilica material with a chiral nematic pore structure. Examples of possible applications of this material include optical filters, adsorbents, chiral stationary phases for chromatography, sensors, composite materials, membranes, and templates for creating other chiral materials.