Tricomponent coassembly approach to synthesize ordered mesoporous carbon/silica nanocomposites and their derivative mesoporous silicas with dual porosities

Highly ordered mesoporous carbon/silica nanocomposites and dual-mesoporous silicas with a 3D cubic structure were successfully synthesized through a facile tricomponent coassembly approach by using the lab-made diblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene as a template. The mesoporous silicas exhibit a high surface area and uniform bimodal mesopores. The bimodal mesopores can be tuned by simply changing the ratio of carbon/silica precursors and the pyrolysis temperature in N₂. Gold nanoparticles were successfully loaded in the primary large mesopores for use as a heterogeneous nanacatalyst, which exhibits excellent performance in the epoxidation of styrene, demonstrating their potential for catalyst support.