Highly carboxylic-acid-functionalized ethane-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas: synthesis, characterization, and adsorption properties.

Functionalization of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) with high loadings of pendant organic groups to form bifunctional PMOs with ordered mesostructures remains a challenging objective. Herein, we report that well-ordered ethane-bridged PMOs functionalized with exceptionally high loadings of pendant carboxylic acid groups (up to 80 mol % based on silica) were synthesized by the co-condensation of 1,4-bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane (BTME) and carboxyethylsilanetriol sodium salt (CES) with Pluronic P123 as the template and KCl as an additive under acidic conditions. The bifunctional materials were characterized by using a variety of techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen-adsorption/desorption, TEM, and solid-state (13)C and (29)Si NMR spectroscopy. Zeta-potential measurements showed that the surface negative charges increased with increasing the CES content. This property makes them potential candidates for applications in drug adsorption. The excellent adsorption capacity of these bifunctional PMOs towards an anticancer drug (doxorubicin) was also demonstrated.