In situ ATR-FTIR for monitoring the kinetics of mesoporous molecular sieves synthesis

In situ infrared spectroscopy has been applied to follow the kinetics of the sol-gel synthesis of mesoporous Molecular sieves. A stirred reaction vessel has been adapted to a horizontal attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory to carry out the analysis. Diamond has been chosen as internal reflection element because of the hardness, thermal and chemical resistance requirements that the synthesis conditions impose. The use of this tool to analyse the formation of the surfactant-silicate mesophase and monitor the hydrolysis and condensation reactions during the synthesis of MCM-41 materials is reported.