Synthesis and catalytic properties of sulfonic acid-functionalized monodispersed mesoporous silica spheres

A new type of sulfonic acid-functionalized monodispersed mesoporous silica spheres (MMSS) were synthesized directly by co-condensation and subsequent oxidation. By changing the methanol ratio, sulfonic acid-functionalized MMSS with different particle diameters (390–830 nm) and the same mesopore sizes were successfully synthesized. TEM observations revealed that the mesopores were aligned radially from the center towards the outside of the spheres, even in the sulfonic acid-functionalized MMSS. The catalytic activities of the sulfonic acid-functionalized MMSS were studied in condensation reactions between 2-methylfuran and acetone, and it was found that their catalytic activities are highly dependent on the particle diameters. In addition, the catalytic activity of MMSS was much higher than that of other forms of mesoporous silica due to its radially-aligned mesopores.