A fluoride-catalyzed sol–gel route to catalytically active non-ordered mesoporous silica materials in the absence of surfactants

A fluoride catalyzed route for the synthesis of catalytically active non-ordered mesoporous silica based materials in the absence of surfactants is presented and discussed. This synthesis procedure has allowed the introduction of different organic and inorganic functionalities with specific chemical activities within silica networks with well-tailored mesoporous distributions. Particularly, this sol–gel synthesis route has permitted the synthesis of Al- and Ti-containing mesoporous silica materials that have been found to be catalytically active for acid and redox processes, respectively. This synthetic approach has also allowed the preparation of hybrid organic–inorganic mesoporous materials.