A Novel Ion Exchange Method to Modify Mesoporpous Molecular Sieve Al-FSM-16 by Cobalt-Complex

A novel ion exchange method of modifying mesoporous material, Al-FSM-16, has been found and applied to preparation of functional Al-FSM-16 containing Co-Salen inside the pores. The method is characterized in that the Co2+ ion exchange, which is followed by chelation with Salen H2, is performed in a nonaqueous glacial acetic acid solution of cobalt(II) acetate. The lattice regularity and pore structure of Al-FSM-16 are retained through the modification as evidenced by XRD, TEM and N2 adsorption measurements at 77 K. This non-destructive modification method is significant, since conventional ion exchange methods using aqueous solutions always cause severe damages to the framework structure of Al-FSM-16.