Architecture of novel periodic mesoporous organosilicas based on the flexible skeleton of aspartic acid-bridged organosilane

Novel periodic mesoporous organosilicas materials (PMOs) based on the flexible skeleton of aspartic acid were synthesized by the co-condensation of aspartic acid-bridged organosilane (Asp-BOSP) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in an acidic medium, using the Pluronic P123 surfactant as a template. Furthermore, a new amino acid organosilane was developed by the simple reaction between traditional organosilicone ((3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane) and aspartic acid. The small-angle XRD and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms demonstrate that these PMOs materials possess ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructures in the region of low molar concentrations of Asp-BOSP (⩽10%). Analysis of FTIR and ²⁹Si MAS solid-state NMR confirm that the aspartic acid is incorporated into the framework of the PMOs materials.