abstract
Periodic Mesoporous Silicas (PMS) are one of the prime examples of templated porous materials - there is a clear connection between the porous network structure and the supramolecular assemblies formed by surfactant templates. This opens the door for a high degree of control over the material properties by tuning the synthesis conditions, and has led to their application in a wide range of fields, from gas separation and catalysis to drug delivery. However, such control has not yet come to full fruition, largely because a detailed understanding of the synthesis mechanism of these materials remains elusive. In this context, molecular modelling studies of the self-assembly of silica/surfactant mesophases have arisen at the turn of the century. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of simulation studies devoted to the synthesis of PMS materials and their hybrid organic-inorganic counterparts. As those studies span a wide range of time and length scales, a holistic view of the field affords some interesting new insight into the synthesis mechanisms. We expect simulation studies of this complex but fascinating topic to increase significantly as computer architectures become increasingly powerful, and we present our view to the future of this field of research.
keywords
MONTE-CARLO-SIMULATION; MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATION; REALISTIC ATOMISTIC MODELS; ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRID; TEMPLATED SYNTHESIS; ZEOLITE SYNTHESIS; IN-SITU; PHASE-SEPARATION; CHAIN-LENGTH; FORCE-FIELD
subject category
Chemistry; Physics
authors
Jorge, M; Milne, AW; Sobek, ON; Centi, A; Perez-Sanchez, G; Gomes, JRB
our authors
Germán Pérez-Sánchez
Junior Researcher
José R. B. Gomes
Principal Researcheracknowledgements
This work was supported in part by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia in the framework of Programa Investigador FCT and of project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 vertical bar Ref. FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013], which were financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement.