Leached Natural Saponite as the Silicate Source in the Synthesis of Aluminosilicate Hexagonal Mesoporous Materials

A new successful short time synthesis route for the preparation of FSM is developed using the leached natural aluminosilicate saponite, in combination with a low concentration of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide [C 16 H 33 N + (CH 3 ) 3 Br - or CTMA] as surfactant. The leaching of the smectite increases with higher acid concentrations (5−10 M HCl) and temperature (25 °C and 100 °C). The leached saponite generated by these acid treatments allows the formation of mesoporous aluminosilicate hexagonal structures (FSM-16) with high porosity (max. 0.6 cm 3 /g), high specific surface area (max. 900 m 2 /g), thick pore wall, and uniform pore structure.