Functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilicas: Hierarchical and chiral materials

The integration of organic and inorganic fragments within the pore walls of the periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) represents one of the recent breakthroughs in material science. The resulting PMOs are promising materials for applications in such areas as catalysis, adsorption, separation and drug-delivery. We summarize here the recent progress made in the synthesis of PMOs with hierarchical structures and large functional groups, with special emphasis on the chiral mesoporous organosilicas and their potential applications as novel chiral solids in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis.