Simple Preparation of Large Pore Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres and Their Protein Sequestration Ability

A simple and efficient method for the preparation of large pore MSNs is Ca ion‐etching of the as‐prepared mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) containing ammonium‐based organic template. In this facile process, the generation of new large mesopores through the partial collapse of several mesopores and template removal through cation‐exchange occurred simultaneously. We found that CaCl2 could also act as a good etching source. Template‐free cubic phase MSN (cMSN) with large pores could be obtained by treating CaCl2 under mild conditions in high yield. Both surface area and pore volume increased in the order Ca(NO3)2‐treated cMSN