Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Jul 27;29(15):3543.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29153543.

Advancing Adsorption and Separation with Modified SBA-15: A Comprehensive Review and Future Perspectives

Binjun Liang  1 , Pingxin Zhu  1 , Jihan Gu  1   2 , Weiquan Yuan  1 , Bin Xiao  1 , Haixiang Hu  1 , Mingjun Rao  3
Affiliations
Review

Advancing Adsorption and Separation with Modified SBA-15: A Comprehensive Review and Future Perspectives

Binjun Liang et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 has emerged as a promising adsorbent and separation material due to its unique structural and physicochemical properties. To further enhance its performance, various surface modification strategies, including metal oxide and noble metal incorporation for improved catalytic activity and stability, organic functionalization with amino and thiol groups for enhanced adsorption capacity and selectivity, and inorganic-organic composite modification for synergistic effects, have been extensively explored. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in the surface modification of SBA-15 for adsorption and separation applications. The synthesis methods, structural properties, and advantages of SBA-15 are discussed, followed by a detailed analysis of the different modification strategies and their structure-performance relationships. The adsorption and separation performance of functionalized SBA-15 materials in the removal of organic pollutants, heavy metal ions, gases, and biomolecules, as well as in chromatographic and solid-liquid separation, is critically evaluated. Despite the significant progress, challenges and opportunities for future research are identified, including the development of low-cost and sustainable synthesis routes, rational design of SBA-15-based materials with tailored properties, and integration into practical applications. This review aims to guide future research efforts in developing advanced SBA-15-based materials for sustainable environmental and industrial applications, with an emphasis on green and scalable modification strategies.

Keywords: SBA-15; adsorption; mesoporous silica; modification; separation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Author Jihan Gu was employed by the company Chongyi Green Metallurgy New Energy Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TEM images of SBA-15 and modified SBA-15 [23].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Synthesis route for preparation of SBA-15. Adapted with permission from Ref. [30] under a Creative Commons Attribution—NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Copyright (2021) Royal Society of Chemistry.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A core–shell-like nanocomposite comprised of Fe3O4 and SBA-15 [62].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Experimental procedure of synthesis of SBA-15 and CeO2@SBA-15 [64].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Scheme of preparation of phosphorous acid modified mesoporous SBA-15 (P-SBA-15) [66].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Synthesis process of the NH2-H-SBA-15 [75].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Preparation of NH2-SBA-15, 2-HB-SBA-15, and 4-HB-SBA-15 [80].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Comparative studies of adsorption on PAN/AO-SBA-15 and PAO/AO-SBA-15 membranes with other reported adsorbents in U (VI) water or simulated wastewater [81]. a: Adsorption capacity is calculated by qm·S/m, where qm is the maximum adsorption capacity (mg/m2), S is the membrane area (m2), and m is the mass (g) of the membrane before adsorption.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Synthesis and screening process of NH2-SBA-15-α-Glu microreactor [85].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Schematic diagram of the synthesis process of Cu/TCH-pr@SBA-15. Reprinted from Ref. [92] with permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry under a Creative Commons Attribution—NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License, copyright (2021).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Schematic presentation of successive stages of the preparation route of Fe3O4@SBA-15-Gd adsorbent system [103].
Figure 12
Figure 12
Preparation and modification of SBA-15 materials, respectively [109].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sacramento R.A., Cysneiros O.M.S., Silva B.J.B., Silva A.O.S. Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Materials with SBA and MCM Structure Types. Cerâmica. 2019;65:585–591. doi: 10.1590/0366-69132019653762628. - DOI
    1. Bernardos A., Kourimska L. Applications of Mesoporous Silica Materials in Food—A Review. Czech J. Food Sci. 2013;31:99–107. doi: 10.17221/240/2012-CJFS. - DOI
    1. Rizzi F., Castaldo R., Latronico T., Lasala P., Gentile G., Lavorgna M., Striccoli M., Agostiano A., Comparelli R., Depalo N., et al. High Surface Area Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with Tunable Size in the Sub-Micrometer Regime: Insights on the Size and Porosity Control Mechanisms. Molecules. 2021;26:4247. doi: 10.3390/molecules26144247. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nebhani L., Mishra S., Joshi T. Polymer Functionalization of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Using Controlled Radical Polymerization Techniques. In: Acuña R.H., editor. Advances in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. IntechOpen; Rijeka, The Republic of Croatia: 2020.
    1. Mohamed Isa E.D., Ahmad H., Abdul Rahman M.B., Gill M.R. Progress in Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Agents for Cancer Treatment. Pharmaceutics. 2021;13:152. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13020152. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources