Porphyrin-Based Bola-Amphiphiles as Structure-Directing Agents for the Synthesis of Mesostructured Silica

Summary.

 Amphiphilic porphyrins with a bola-type arrangement of trimethylammonium headgroups can be used to generate M41S-type silica mesostructures with a lamellar topology and alternating organic–inorganic layers. Within the organic layers, the porphyrin entities are aggregated as shown by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The use of a bola amphiphile as structure-directing agent extends the possibilities of surfactant-controlled assembly of inorganic structures. In addition, the direct functionalization of the organic part of organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructures is possible due to the combination of the amphiphilic function with that of a chromophore.