Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas Consisting of 3D Hexagonally Ordered Interconnected Globular Pores

A new family of periodic mesoporous organosilicas with 100% E-configured ethenylene-bridges and controllable pore systems is presented. 2D hexagonally ordered hybrid nanocomposites consisting of cylindrical pores are obtained, of which some are filled with solid material. The architectural composition of these hybrid materials can be accurately controlled by fine-tuning the reaction conditions; that is, there is a unique correlation between the reaction mixture acidity and the amount of confined mesopores. This correlation is related to the filling of the pores with solid material whereby the length of the pore channels can be tailored. Hereby the mesophase either shifts toward long-ranged 2D hexagonally ordered open cylinders or toward 3D hexagonally ordered interconnected spheres. The synthesis of these organic-inorganic hybrid composites is straightforward via the direct condensation of E-1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethene, in the presence of pluronic P123. The true nature of these periodic mesoporous organosilicas is disclosed by means of nitrogen gas physisorption, nonlocal density functional theory, SAXS, TEM, and electron-tomography.