Design of hierarchical functional porous mixed oxides from single precursors

Porous materials have been prepared via a single-source pathway. A one-step synthesis pathway has been developed for the design of hierarchically structured macro-mesoporous aluminosilicates with high tetrahedral aluminium content from a single molecular alkoxide precursor already containing Si-O-Al bonds (sec-BuO) -Al-O-Si(OEt) . The compensation of the cleavage of the intrinsic Al-O-Si linkage is successfully achieved by using highly alkaline media and the employment of reactive silica co-reactants, or aluminium selective chelating agents, leading to aluminosilicate materials with Si/Al ratios close to one and very high proportion of tetrahedral aluminium species. The macro-mesoporosity was spontaneously generated by the hydrodynamic flow of solvents released during the rapid hydrolysis and condensation processes of this double alkoxide. Secondly, recent advances in the conception of mesoporous zirconosilicate with homogeneous repartition of zirconium into the silicate structure (Si/Zr ∼ 4), achieved by the use of Zr[OSi(O Bu) ] molecular precursor, are presented.