Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica from selectively acid-treated saponite as the precursors.

Mesoporous silicas were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of selectively acid-treated saponite (an ideal structural formula: Na(1/3)Mg(3)(Si(11/3)Al(1/3))O(10)(OH)(2)), having a 2:1 type layered structure as the silica source and its porous properties were examined and compared with that from kaolinite (an ideal structural formula: Al(2)Si(2)O(5)(OH)(4)), having a 1:1 type layered structure. Synthetic saponite was selectively leached in H(2)SO(4) solutions with various concentrations (0.05-1 M) at 70 degrees C for 0.5 h. The resulting products (precursors) were mixed with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr), NaOH and H(2)O, hydrothermally treated at 110 degrees C and removed the CTABr by calcining at 560 degrees C. A hexagonal mesoporous phase was obtained with higher Si/(Al(+Mg)) ratios of the resulting precursors. The XRD patterns of these products show the peaks assigned by a hexagonal lattice with a(0)=4.0-4.6 nm and the crystallinity becomes higher with higher Si/(Al(+Mg)) ratios of the precursors. The specific surface area (S(BET)) values of the present mesoporous silicas range from 800 to 1100 m(2)/g at CTABr/precursor=0.1 and although they are not as high as those from precursors prepared from calcining and acid-treatment of kaolinite (1420 m(2)/g), they are increased to 1400-1500 m(2)/g by increasing the ratio CTABr/precursor 0.2. The reason for the difference in the optimum preparation conditions between saponite and kaolinite may be attributed to the difference in the linkage of the SiO(4) tetrahedra in these precursors (i.e. layered or framework structures), which result in great differences in the selective leaching rates and structures of the resulting silica-rich products.