Dual roles of amphiphilic triblock copolymer P123 in synthesis of α-Fe nanoparticle/ordered mesoporous silica composites

A simple and effective method for in situ synthesis of α-Fe nanoparticle/ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) composites is reported. Evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) and carbothermal reduction (CR) are strategically combined by using amphiphilic triblock copolymer P123 as not only a template and but also a precursor of carbon material. P123 plays dual roles in assembly of mesostructure and reduction of ferric species. Thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometer was used to investigate the pyrolysis process of the wet gels. The synthesized composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) and N2 adsorption. The results showed that the composites possess ordered hexagonal mesoporous structure and the α-Fe nanoparticles with about 16 nm were well dispersed in mesoporous matrix. The carbon material resulting from P123 can reduce ferric species to α-Fe nanoparticles at 800 °C. Moreover, the formation mechanism for Fe nanoparticles in OMS matrix is proposed.