Characteristics of SBA-15 synthesized by one-step method.

The synthesis of SBA-15 with or without ethanol using a one-step method and its porosity were investigated. Well-ordered SBA-15 with a rod like morphology could be obtained from starting mixtures by aging at a low (60 degrees C) or high (80 degrees C) temperature in the presence of an appropriate amount of ethanol. By contrast, mesoporous materials containing aggregates of particles obtained in the absence of ethanol at high aging temperatures (70 or 80 degrees C) had complex poorly ordered structures, indicating that ethanol can affect the structure of mesoporous materials. In addition, the poorly ordered mesoporous materials had unusual desorption characteristics, namely they possessed a two-step desorption branch.