Zwitterionic hybrid SBA-15 mesoporous silica materials containing both amine and sulfonic acid groups have been synthesized through cocondensation from as-synthesized zwitterionic siloxane precursors (ZS) with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Characterization by XRD, TEM, and N 2 adsorptiondesorption measurements show that the as-synthesized materials have ordered mesostructures. Analysis with UV, 29 Si/ 13 C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) NMR, and X-ray photelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis demonstrates that the zwitterionic parts have been
IntroductionOrdered mesoporous silica materials, such as the representative MCM-41 [1] and SBA-15, [2] with stable mesostructures, large surface areas, and size-tailored mesopores on the nanometer scale have been widely investigated and employed in many fields. Organically functionalized mesoporous silicas, in particular, have received considerable attention because various organic functional groups enlarge their practical applications to catalysis, separation, sensor, and drug delivery. [3][4] Mesoporous silicas functionalized with acidic groups, such as sulfonic acid, Nafion, and carboxyl groups, show high activity and selectivity for classical acidpromoted organic reactions, such as esterification, FriedelCrafts acylation, and olefin polymerization. [5][6][7][8][9] Various Ngroup-modified mesoporous silicas have been used in some base-catalyzed reactions including the Heck reaction, Knoevenagel condensation, and Michael addition. [10][11][12] Recently, base-and acid-bifunctional mesoporous catalysts were developed and received great attention because a cooperative catalytic system constructed from general acid and base groups is desired for some carbon-carbon bondformation reactions. [13][14][15] Lin et al. demonstrated that a general acid group, the ureidopropyl group, can activate substrates in cooperation with a general base group, the 3-[2- [a] [19][20] Kan et al. synthesized acid-base bifunctional mesoporous materials by controlling steric hindrance to prevent interactions between acid and base. [13] Although much effort has been made, precise control of the molar ratio and distribution of the acid and base centers to avoid their neutralization is still a big challenge. Zwitterions are neutral molecules with a positive and a negative electrical charge at different locations within the molecule. Their latent acidity (or basicity) could be obtained by combining 1:1 molar quantities of zwitterions with acids (or bases) possessing sufficiently low pK a (or pK b ) to convert the acidic (or basic) groups into the corresponding acids (or bases). Examples are known, such as SO 3 H-functionalized ionic liquids, which were prepared through the acidification of zwitterions containing alkanesulfonic groups by various strong donor acids. [21][22] Furthermore, CO 2 -philic ionic liquid materials were prepared by alkalizing zwitterions with quaternary ammonium hydroxides. [23] Therefore, it is very interesting to introduce zwitterions into mesoporous ...