Synthesis and applications of supramolecular-templated mesoporous materials

Research in supramolecular-templated mesoporous materials began in the early 1990s with the announcement of MCM-41 and the M41S family of molecular sieves. These materials are highly unusual in their textural characteristics: uniform pore sizes greater than 20 Å, surface areas in excess of 1000 m²g^{- 1}, and long-range ordering of the packing of pores. The mesoporous materials are derived with supramolecular assemblies of surfactants, which template the inorganic components during synthesis. Many researchers have since exploited this technique of supramolecular templating to produce materials with different compositions, new pore systems, and novel properties. This article reviews the current state of the art in mesoporous materials research in three general areas: synthesis, catalytic properties, and other applications that take advantage of bulk morphologies. Various mechanisms formulated to explain the formation of mesostructures are discussed in the context of compositional control. The catalytic applications of mesoporous materials are examined, with a significant fraction based on recent patent literature. Other directions in the utilization of mesoporous materials are also presented.