CTAB-assisted fabrication of mesoporous composite consisting of wormlike aluminosilicate shell and ordered MSU-S core

Novel mesoporous composites comprised of aluminosilicate shell with wormhole framework structure and well-ordered MSU-S core have been firstly prepared via treatment of MSU-S with NaAlO2 solution in the presence of cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The obtained products were thoroughly characterized by XRD, HRTEM, N2 sorption isotherm, TG-DSC, 27Al MAS NMR and 29Si MAS NMR, etc. Characterization results based on these techniques revealed that the introduction of CTAB during the treatment process played a crucial role in the formation of mesoporous composite, otherwise the parent ordered MSU-S would be completely destroyed. Furthermore, aluminum content in the final product determined by ICP and EDAX was significantly increased compared to the parent MSU-S, thus assuming that CTAB added in this modification process led a key role in the introduction of Al into the final solid via self-assembly with additionally added AlO2− and partly dissolved silicate species from the parent MSU-S particles. In addition, acidity and catalytic performance of the prepared mesoporous composite were also substantially improved in comparison to the parent MSU-S sample.