Directed synthesis of organic/inorganic composite structures

The impact of the discovery of the synthesis of periodic mesoporous material using amphiphilic surfactants is apparent from the demographics of papers that have appeared in this area. In addition to providing for the first time access to high surface area, monodispersed mesopores (1nm to > 10nm), the research has provided, in a more generic sense, a new synthesis paradigm on the ways in which to bring together spatially distinct, nanostructured organic, and inorganic arrays into two- and three-dimensional periodic, composite structures. Designed materials synthesis and properties based on the molecular level interplay of the kinetics and energetics of organic and inorganic domain and interface assembly are of vital interest to many areas including biomineralization, conducting and optical display polymer composites, chemical sensors, fine chemical and bio-catalysis, and the creation of composite phases with useful mechanical and thermal properties for insulation and packaging applications. It is clear that this discovery is a major entry not only in the “breakthrough” library of zeolite and molecular sieve syntheses, but also in advancing the field of materials syntheses in general. This chapter focuses on some observations concerning this composite synthesis paradigm. The presentation is admittedly only a selected sampling, with some brief excursions into implications related to biomineralization and porous materials design at longer (10 nm to 1000nm) length scales