Proton absorption in as-synthesized mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a structure-function relationship probing mechanism.

A new method to investigate the effect of pore geometry on diffusion processes in mesoporous silica nanoparticles and other types of micro- and mesoporous structures is put forward. The method is based on the study of proton diffusion from a liquid surrounding the mesoporous particles into the particle pore system. The proton diffusion properties are assessed for a variety of as-synthesized mesoporous nano- and microparticles with two-dimensional and three-dimensional connectivity. Results show that the diffusion coefficients are higher for the proton absorption process than for the release of surfactant template molecules, and that they overall follow the same trend with the more complex three-dimensional mesocaged particles showing the highest diffusion coefficients. The pore geometry (cylindrical pores versus cage-type pores) and structure connectivity are found to play a key role for the effects observed. The results put forward in the present work should offer a valuable tool in the development of porous nanomaterials in a range of applications including the use as catalysis and separation enhancers in the petrochemical industry, as scaffolds for hydrogen storage, and as drug delivery vehicles for sustained release and gene transfection.