Cutting-Edge Mesoporous Materials by Zhao Dongyuan: Revolutionizing Applications in Science and Industry

On November 3, 2021, the project "Creation and Application of Ordered Mesoporous Polymers and Carbon Materials" led by Zhao Dongyuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at Fudan University's Department of Chemistry, was awarded the First Prize of the National Natural Science Award.

In this project, Zhao’s team proposed the innovative concepts of organic-organic self-assembly and multiplexed collaborative co-assembly, achieving precise control over functional mesoporous polymers and carbon materials. These materials hold immense potential in applications such as adsorption, separation, sensors, catalysis, energy storage, solar cells, and biomedicine [1]. Zhao has even envisioned extending the use of mesoporous materials to daily clothing. While international experts have hailed his research as a milestone in porous material science, Zhao humorously remarked, “Beyond making holes, there’s not much else.”

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of 3D mesoporous TiO2 design for pseudocapacitive charge storage [2][2].

Collaborating with Professor Pingyun Feng of the University of California, the team introduced controllable defects into the mesoporous TiO₂ structure. This defect-ordered design significantly enhances H₂ production rates, achieving up to 19.8 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under sunlight with exceptional stability (Figure 2) [3][3]

2. Mesoporous SiO₂: Innovative Biomimetic Materials

Using a thermodynamics-mediated method, Zhao and researcher Li Wei synthesized ultra-small organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles with uniform size and monodispersity. These SiO₂/micelle nanoparticles (Figure 3) demonstrate:

• Superior mechanical properties compared to pure polymer monomers.
• Exceptional toughness, making them ideal for use as biomimetic materials [4][4]
   

  3. Mesoporous Carbon: High-Performance Electrode Materials

  Zhao’s team also synthesized monodispersed mesoporous carbon nanospheres with ultra-high nitrogen content (15.6 wt%) via aqueous emulsion polymerization. These nanospheres were used as anodes for sodium-ion batteries (Figure 4) and exhibited:

  • Outstanding rate performance (117 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 A g⁻¹).
  • High reversible capacity (373 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.06 A g⁻¹), positioning them as promising energy storage materials [5][5]

    J&K Scientific: Your Trusted Supplier of Mesoporous Materials

    J&K Scientific proudly offers a range of advanced mesoporous materials developed by Zhao Dongyuan, including:

    • Three Key Materials: Silica, carbon, and titanium dioxide.
    • High-Quality Structures: Featuring highly ordered mesoscopic structures, large specific surface areas, and narrow pore size distributions.
    • Surface Functionalization: Easily modifiable with functional groups like sulfhydryl, amino, epoxide, and imidazole.
    • Excellent Dispersion: Particles resist agglomeration and settling, facilitating advanced research in catalysis, adsorption, and separation.

    Mesoporous TiO2 (13463-67-7)
    Application areas: electrode materials (such as dye-sensitized solar cells); photocatalysts (such as photocatalytic hydrogen production, photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, etc.)

    Product name	Specification	Item number
    Mesoporous TiO2 microspheres	diam: 600-2500 nm, SSA:80-157 m2 /g, pore size: 5-12 nm, pore volume:0.2-0.56 cm2 /g	2748683

     

    Mesoporous SiO2 (7631-86-9)
    Application areas: catalyst carriers (such as precious metals, metal oxides, etc.); pollutant adsorbents and detectors (such as H2S, formaldehyde, algae toxins, etc.); nanomedicine carriers (such as cytochrome C, serum protein, etc.)

    Product name	Specification	Item number
    Mesoporous silica SBA-15	diam: 500-2000 nm, SSA: 700-1100 m2/g, pore size: 6-11 nm, pore volume: 0.6-1.3 cm3/g	2748670
    Mesoporous silica SBA-16	diam:＞1000 nm, SSA: 600-960 m2/g, pore size: 5-12 nm, pore volume: 0.50-0.95 cm3/g	2748671
    Mesoporous silica nanosphere	diam: 60-250 nm, SSA: 410-680 m2/g, pore size: 2.8-13.3 nm, pore volume: 0.57-1.66 cm3/g	2748679
    Sea urchin-like mesoporous silica nanosphere	diam: 120-250 nm, SSA: 200-450 m2/g, pore size: 2.0 - 3.0 nm, pore volume: 0.35-0.56 cm3/g	2748694
    Hollow silcia nanosphere	diam: 200-800 nm, SSA: 350-800 m2/g, pore size: 2.0-4.0 nm, pore volume: <1.4 cm3/g	2748684

     

    Mesoporous carbon (7440-44-0)
    Application areas: oil-water separators; electrode materials (such as batteries and supercapacitors); catalyst carriers (such as precious metals, metal oxides, etc.); organic pollutant adsorbents (such as acetone, benzene, rhodamine B, etc.); nanofilters ( Such as inorganic nanoparticles, biomolecules)

    Product name	Specification	Item number
    Mesoporous carbon FDU-15	diam:＞1000 nm, SSA: 540-1500 m2/g, pore size: 3.5-8 nm, pore volume: 0.4-1.31 cm3/g	2748672
    Mesoporous carbon FDU-16	diam:＞1000 nm, SSA: 510-900 m2/g, pore size: 3.7-6.8 nm, pore volume: 0.4-0.85 cm3/g	2748673
    Mesoporous carbon C-CS	diam:＞1000 nm, SSA: 1000-2300 m2/g, pore size: 5.8-6.8 nm, pore volume: 0.7-2.0 cm3/g	2748676

     

    References

    1. Duan L , Wang C , Zhang W , et al. Interfacial Assembly and Applications of Functional Mesoporous Materials[J][J][J][J][J]. Small Methods, 2021, 5, 2001137.