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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
An industrially viable production method is a prerequisite for the commercialization of templated mesostructured materials, e.g. as carriers of various functionalities in coatings, in the coatings of ink jet paper and liquid chromatography. A small pilot plant was constructed for the continuous production of well ordered mesostructured materials (>10g/h) that can easily be scaled to an industrial process. The silica colloids have a well controlled internal mesostructure and are spherical with a mean diameter of 1-5μm. The mesoscopic pores in the calcined materials are accessible to relatively large molecules; up to 25 % (by weight) of the cationic dye Janus Green B could be adsorbed from an aqueous solution. We have also demonstrated how optically functional silica colloids could be prepared in a one-pot synthesis by introducing different dyes into the precursor solution.