Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
A periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) with cubic Pm3n structure has been prepared from bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane and cetytriethylammonium chloride. The sample has been heat treated under argon up to 1000°C, and the pyrolysis intermediates were analysed by X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation, multinuclear solid state NMR (29Si, 13C and 1H) and N2 adsorption-desorption experiments. The cubic Pm3n structure is retained after pyrolysis at 1000°C. The sample is a SiCO glass with mixed SiCxO4-x units (x = 0, 1, 2) and a very large surface area of 730 m2/g.