Facile synthesis of mesoporous SBA-15 silica spheres and its application for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Micrometer-sized mesoporous SBA-15 silica spheres have been synthesized using triblock copolymer poly(ethyleneoxide)-block-poly(propyleneoxide)-block-poly(ethyleneoxide) (EO(20)PO(70)EO(20)) as structure-directing agent with the assistance of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and KCl. By controlling the composition of synthesis gel, SBA-15 silica spheres with particle size in the range of 2-4.5 microm could be facilely obtained. The obtained SBA-15 silica spheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and N(2) physisorption technique. Dimethyloctadecylchlorosilane modified mesoporous SBA-15 silica with diameter of 4.5 microm was explored as stationary phase in high-performance liquid chromatography, and its chromatographic characteristics for separation of some small molecules and relatively large bio-molecules have been studied.