Tailoring surface properties of ordered mesoporous materials for adsorption applications

The disclosure of ordered mesoporous materials MCM in 1992 had a high impact on materials science leading to intensive research on the synthesis of new types of OMM. Their extraordinary features such as high surface area, uniformity of the porous structure, wide and tuneable pore size and the ability of tailoring surface chemistry, offer a unique opportunity for adsorption applications particularly when large molecules are involved. Considering that many difficulties still exist with regard to the production of high quality grades and to the understanding of the adsorption processes, we aim to investigate in this project the relationship between synthesis parameters-materials characteristics-adsorption properties. The present project involves the preparation of a wide range of improved, modified and novel OMM and the investigation of the influence of surface properties on the adsorption from the gas and aqueous phases of organic substances and of biomolecules.