Ordered
mesoporous silica materials gain high interest because
of their potential applications in catalysis, selective adsorption,
separation, and controlled drug release. Due to their morphological
characteristics, mainly the tunable, ordered nanometric pores, they
can be utilized as supporting hosts for confined chemical reactions.
Applications of these materials, however, are limited by structural
design. Here, we present a new approach for the 3D printing of complex
geometry silica objects with an ordered mesoporous structure by stereolithography.
The process uses photocurable liquid compositions that contain a structure-directing
agent, silica precursors, and elastomer-forming monomers that, after
printing and calcination, form porous silica monoliths. The objects
have extremely high surface area, 1900 m
2
/g, and very low
density and are thermally and chemically stable. This work enables
the formation of ordered porous objects having complex geometries
that can be utilized in applications in both the industry and academia,
overcoming the structural limitations associated with traditional
processing methods.
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