Abstract
This paper reports the one-pot synthesis and characterization of functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 silica, containing two loadings of different acid groups (-CO2H, -PO(OH)2 and -SO3H). The thermodynamic features of the water confined in these porous silicas is investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the melting behaviour of the confined water is mainly governed by the pore diameter and, as a consequence, indicate that the chemical "decoration" of the porous surface does not play any key role on water thermodynamics in that case. On the contrary, the proton conductivity of the hydrated mesoporous materials, examined in a wide range of temperatures (-100 to 70°C), turns out to be strongly dependent on both the physical state of the confined water and the acidity of the functions located at the porous surface. The proton conductivity is shown to be directly related to the pKa and the density of the functional groups attached to the mesopore surface. The high conductivity values obtained at low temperature when the confined water is frozen, let us think that the -SO3H functionalized SBA-15 investigated here could be promising candidates for electrolyte solids applications in fuel cells.