Objective The research project is devoted to the synthesis and investigations of a new type of materials - the mesoporous mesophases - and catalytically important systems thereof. The mesoporous mesophase silicas and zirconias, e.g. systems chemically composed mainly of silicon dioxide and zirconium dioxide, will be the object of this project aiming at the following goals. The first one will consist in clarifying the main features of the formation mechanism of the mesostructured oxides governing the modes of their arrangement, their textural parameters as well as the coordination states of the elements, and to establish possible models of the molecular structure of these materials.The second goal will concern the evaluation of the potential uses of these systems as heterogeneous catalysts and supports. Therefore, the surface sites in the mesostructured oxides will be characterized and catalytic testing will be performed before and after chemical modifications of these materials with acidic reagents and transition metal compounds. In addition, the possibilities to functionalise the surface by sulfation, phosphatation and tungstenation will be examined, and ways to stabilize these materials will be looked for. Introduction of noble metals via different methods will be performed.Physico-chemical methods including low-angle X-ray diffraction, adsorption techniques, solid-state NMR and XPS spectroscopies, and FTIR and Raman spectroscopies using probe molecules (e.g. carbon monoxide and ammonia), as well as chemical analyses will be used for the characterization of these solids.The catalytic activity of the mesoporous mesophases will be determined in acid-base transformations of high industrial importance such as lower alkane (butane) and paraffins isomerization, and alkylation, including in situ NMR and FTIR spectroscopic investigations using labelled substrates.The catalytic properties of noble metal loaded samples will be investigated in hydrogenation reactions.The results obtained will be disseminated via joint publications in scientific journals. Programme(s) IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993- Topic(s) 3 - Chemistry RUSSIA - RUSSIA Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Universite Catholique de Louvain EU contribution No data Address Place Croix du Sud 2/17 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address K. Marx Street, 42 660049 Krasnoyarsk See on map Total cost No data Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address Prospect Ak. Lavrentieva 5 630090 Novosibirsk See on map Total cost No data Universitat Frankfurt Germany EU contribution No data Address Marie Curie Strasse 11 60439 Frankfurt am Main See on map Total cost No data