mesoporien

Mesoporien is a term used in materials science to denote porous solid materials that feature mesopores, pores with diameters between 2 and 50 nanometers. The defining characteristic is a high pore volume and large surface area, enabling efficient mass transport and surface reactions.

Mesoporien materials can be inorganic oxides, hybrids, or composites. They include ordered frameworks with regular pore lattices, such as hexagonal or cubic structures, as well as amorphous mesoporous networks. Their pore architectures can be designed to balance diffusion with access to active sites.

Common routes involve templating agents: surfactants or block copolymers guide the assembly of inorganic precursors (for example, silicas like MCM-41, SBA-15). After condensation, templates are removed by calcination or solvent extraction to reveal mesopores. Alternative soft or hard templating strategies also yield diverse pore structures and compositions.

Properties of mesoporien include high surface area (often hundreds of square meters per gram), tunable pore size, and substantial pore volume, with diffusion and accessibility depending on pore geometry. Thermal and chemical stability vary with composition; silica-based mesoporien are typically robust under moderate conditions, while organic-rich variants may require gentler environments or protective chemistries.

Applications span catalysis as supports for metal nanoparticles, adsorption and separation of gases or organic molecules, drug delivery and controlled release, and energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and batteries. Research continues to optimize synthesis, functionalization, and scale-up, with emphasis on environmental compatibility and cost, while exploring hybrid composites and post-synthetic modification to tailor surface chemistry. Related topics include mesoporous materials, structure-directing agents, and templating methods.