SYNTHESIS OF MESOPOROUS SILICA WITH LARGE PORES AND BIMODAL PORE-SIZEDISTRIBUTION BY TEMPLATING OF POLYMER LATICES

A novel variation of the template route to mesoporous silica is presen ted, which extends the range of pore sizes that can be achieved to lar ger sizes. Polymer latex particles in the range from 20 to 400 nm with different surface functionalities are employed as templates. The synt hesis of the latices, sol-gel processing, and calcination are describe d, together with the characterization of the inorganic gels. It is sho wn that the route of templating polymer dispersions is complementary t o the synthesis in lyotropic liquid-crystalline phases, leading to a b imodal size distribution of the pores.