| Abstract |
Mesostructured materials belonging to a new class of solid acids known as porous clay heterostructures (PCHs) have been prepared by chemical modification of a natural clay, by using a cationic surfactant, a neutral amine, and an equimolar mixture of bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (BTEB) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The effect of different polymerisation times of the silica sources and of the hydrocarbon chain length of the neutral amine was studied. The materials retained their layered structure after the formation of stable pillars by the polymerisation of hydrolysed TEOS and BTEB. All materials were characterised by low temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms. C-13 CP MAS. Si-29 MAS and CP MAS NMR spectroscopy, thermal analyses and infrared spectroscopy. The specific surface BET areas of the materials were in the range 550-800 m(2) g(-1) and the corresponding microporous volume were near 0.2-0.3 cm(3) g(-1). The reduction of the reaction time from 12 to 4 h avoids the extra-gallery polymerisation, contributing for a larger specific surface area. The increase of two carbon atoms in the neutral amine chain does not show much effect on the available surface area. These materials were very effective as adsorbents of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), according to tests on methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene and trichloroethylene. The water adsorption isotherms proved the hydrophobicity of the materials, suggesting their capabilities for VOC adsorption in the presence of water. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
