Surface Properties and Catalytic Performance of Novel Mesostructured Oxides

Mesoporous oxides of the M41S family, discovered by scientists of the Mobil Oil Corporation in 1991, are an exciting class of porous materials. Their unique pore system with the extremely sharp pore size distribution, which is adjustable in the range between about 2 and 10 nm at will, and the extremely high surface areas up to 1500 m 2 /g open very promising prospects with respect to the development of new catalysts. The oxides were initially prepared based on silicon and aluminum, but later other elements could be incorporated. Moreover, totally non siliceous oxides could be synthesized using surfactants, similar to the synthesis of the M41S materials. First examples for the use of these oxides as catalysts have been reported. In addition, also the properties of the materials as supports for noble metals have been investigated recently.