Alkyl surface modification of nanoporous silica SBA-15 by click chemistry to obtain triazole products

In this study, Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15) mesoporous silica has been functionalized with aminopropyl groups that were converted to propargyl-bearing moieties through the reaction with propargyl bromide. The material then underwent an efficient Cu(I)-catalyzed azide alkyne click reaction with sodium azide in order to obtain the corresponding triazole products. The covalent modification of mesoporous silica surface with organic functional groups was confirmed by different characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and Raman spectroscopy. The results have confirmed that SBA-15 was successfully functionalized with organic moieties. No change in the periodic structure of the SBA-15 silica support was observed throughout the grafting procedure. Surface area, pore size and pore volume decreased by attaching functional groups to the pore surface. This approach provides a simple and convenient route to efficiently functionalize a wide range of new structures on the surface of SBA-15.