Synthesis and characterization of hexagonally packed mesoporous tantalum oxide molecular sieves

The synthesis and characterization of Ta-TMS1, a new member of a growing family of hexagonally packed transition-metal oxide mesoporous molecular sieves (termed TMS1) is described. Ta-TMS1 exhibits a hexagonal array of pores which can be varied in size from 20 to 40 Å and surface areas of over 500 m²/g. The thermal and hydrothermal stabilities of Ta-TMS1 are 500 and 450°C, respectively, making this system the most stable transition-metal oxide molecular sieve yet isolated. The high hydrocarbon adsorption capacities of this material make it a promising candidate as a catalyst support for hydrocarbon re-forming processes. The synthesis of this material was achieved by a novel approach involving the careful hydrolysis of long-chain primary amine complexes of Ta(OEt)₅. This ligand-assisted templating mechanism represents a new approach to the synthesis of porous materials in that the inorganic precursor is covalently bonded to the template throughout synthesis. The high thermal stability, ease of synthesis and doping, and high surface areas of this material make it competitive with zeolitic molecular sieve materials and may lead to a wide variety of commercial applications.