A facile preparation of transparent and monolithic mesoporous silica materials

Monolithic mesoporous silica samples of ca. 2 x 2 x 1 mm in dimension with large surface areas (> 900 m(2) g(-1)) and pore volumes (> 0.80 cm(3) g(-1)) have been readily prepared via a sol-gel process in the presence of hydroxy-carboxylic acid compounds as non-surfactant templates, and their pore structure was observed directly by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM).http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000085822200024&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Chemistry, MultidisciplinarySCI(E)52ARTICLE6477-47