Abstract:
We report the synthesis of ordered mesoporous ceria (
mCeO
2) with highly crystallinity and thermal stability using hybrid polymer templates consisting of organosilanes. Those organosilane-containing polymers can convert into silica-like nanostructures that further serve as thermally stable and mechanically strong templates to prevent the collapse of mesoporous frameworks during thermal-induced crystallization. Using a simple evaporation-induced self-assembly process, control of the interaction between templates and metal precursors allows the co-self-assembly of polymer micelles and Ce
3+ ions to form uniform porous structures. The porosity is well-retained after calcination up to 900 C. After the thermal engineering at 700 C for 12 h (
mCeO
2-700-12 h),
mCeO
2 still has a specific surface area of 96 m
2 g
-1 with a pore size of 14 nm.
mCeO
2 is demonstrated to be active for electrochemical oxidation of sulfite.
mCeO
2-700-12 h with a perfect balance of crystallinity and porosity shows the fastest intrinsic activity that is about 84 times more active than bulk CeO
2 and 5 times more active than
mCeO
2 that has a lower crystallinity.