Interconnected mesopores and high accessibility in UVM-7-like silicas

The research investigates the pore architecture of UVM-7-like silicas, revealing a hierarchical connectivity of inter- and intra-nanoparticle pores that enhances mass-transfer kinetics. This structure facilitates efficient processes such as gold nanodomain mobility and enzyme adsorption, demonstrating the advantages of nanoparticulated bimodal mesoporous silicas in various applications. Nanoparticulated bimodal mesoporous silicas (NBS) have proved to constitute adequate supports in a variety of applications requiring enhanced accessibility to the active sites. Mass-transfer kinetics seems to be highly favoured in UVM-7-derived NBS materials. To understand the mass-diffusion phenomena throughout UVM-7-like supports requires well-grounded knowledge about their pore architecture. 3-D reconstructions of the UVM-7 mesostructure carried out by electron tomography reveal the existence of a true hierarchic connectivity involving both inter- and intra-nanoparticle pores. This connectivity makes self-supported nanoparticulated mesoporous bimodal carbon replicas of the supports feasible to obtaining by nanocasting. Both the temperature-induced mobility of gold nanodomains and the fast and efficient enzyme adsorption in UVM-7-like silicas are examples of non-constrained diffusion processes happening inside such an open network.