Rapid synthesis of SBA-15 rods with variable lengths, widths, and tunable large pores

Dispersed SBA-15 rods have been synthesized with varying lengths, widths, and pore sizes in a low-temperature synthesis in the presence of heptane and NH(4)F. The pore size of the material can systematically be varied between 11 and 17 nm using different hydrothermal treatment times and/or temperatures. The particle length (400-600 nm) and width (100-400 nm) were tuned by varying the HCl concentration. All the synthesized materials possess a large surface area of 400-600 m(2)/g and a pore volume of 1.05-1.30 cm(3). A mechanism for the effect of the HCl concentration on the particle morphology is suggested. Furthermore, it is shown that the reaction time can be decreased to 1 h, with well-retained pore size and morphology. This work has resulted in SBA-15 rods with the largest pore size reported for this morphology.