Mesostructured Silica SBA-16 with Tailored Intrawall Porosity Part 1: Synthesis and Characterization

Mesostructured silica materials of SBA-16 type were synthesized under varying conditions affecting the pore size distribution. The α s -plot method allows us to identify two populations of intrawall pores and measure their respective specific volumes. A semiquantitative treatment of these data yields an estimate for the intrawall pore radius. These results are discussed and related to the behavior of the long polar chains of the F127 surfactant in the synthesis gel.