Methanol mass variation of mesoporous silica synthesis using ricinoleic methyl ester as a template

This study aims to synthesize mesoporous silica using ricinoleic methyl ester as a template with the variation of methanol mass. Mesoporous silica was synthesized using ricinoleic methyl ester as a template, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as a structural directing agent, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a source of silica. The novelty of this study lies in the use of ricinoleic methyl ester as a template. The reaction conditions were varied by varying the amount of methanol without adding hydrochloric acid 0.1M. The yield of mesoporous silica in samples named MSME A, MSME B, and MSME C was 1.63 g, 1.70 g, and 1.80 g. It shows that adding methanol mass affects the yield of mesoporous silica. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that all silica products formed Si-O-Si bonds between 1103 cm-1 and 1111 cm-1 due to asymmetric stretching vibration. All silica products have a diffractogram at 2θ between 10o and 30o, indicating amorphous. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image demonstrates the mesoporous silica morphology as a mixture of spherical particles and multiple sheets, fused round particles, aggregated particles, and spreading spherical particles. The BET analysis reveals a homogeneous pore size distribution in the third and fourth treatments. Each is dominated by a pore size range of 8.43 nm to 8.50 nm.