The Synthesis of MSU-X Mesoporous Materials from Sodium Silicate

MSU-x (MSU represents Michigan State University) materials are a family of ordered mesoporous silica obtained by using nonionic poly(ethylene oxide)-based surfactants [1]. MSU materials have many application areas due to their mesoporous structure, high mass oil cracking activity and high thermal stability [2]. In recent years MSU mesoporous materials were used in adsorption, catalytic applications, separation process, and drug delivery system [2-6]. In this study, MSU mesoporous silica materials were synthesized from sodium metasilicate pentahydrate (SMP) which is more cost-effective than the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica source and Pluronic 123 as a nonionic structure-directing triblock copolymer surfactant in an acidic medium. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. The obtained results showed that the MSU-x was successfully synthesized.