Characterization of a silica based nano/mesoporous material for adsorption application : A study of the relation between synthesis, structure and adsorption efficiency

During last years the interest in large scale production of nano/mesoporous materials has increased in the industry due to benefits that these materials can provide. Silica based nanomaterials are examples of such materials with large specific surface area and pore volume where the porous structure is the key for the resulting properties leading to efficiency in e.g. filtration applications. The aim of this research was to contribute knowledge on understanding the porous structure and its relation to the efficiency. For this approach, the porous structure of a nano/mesoporous silica-based material is characterized. The analysis of this material is a challenge as it has a wide range of pores in the structure from a few nanometres to several micrometres. Electron microscopy (EM) methods are used for the structural analysis of the materials as a complementary method to nitrogen adsorption (NA). The samples are analysed as powders and the relation between the structure and efficiency in the application is discussed. Through this research different synthesis pathways have been studied under the family name of Quartzene®, and the differences in the resulting structure is discussed. The synthesis and storage conditions have been varied in order to study the effect on the porous structure