Two-Step Synthesis and Characterization of a New Disordered Mesoporous Manganese Silicate MnKIL-1

New manganese silicate denoted as MnKIL-1 was prepared by two-step synthesis. Solvothermal treatment in ethanol in the second step of the synthesis gave rise of a disordered mesoporous silicate structure with the pore openings of 16 nm. The mesoporous property (porosity) of the new material was investigated by employing powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen sorption. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy results suggested that the Mn2+ and Mn3+ cations were coordinated in the mesoporous silicate structure in the disordered octahedral and tetrahedral environments, respectively.