Single-Step Formation of Metal Oxide Nanostructures Wrapped in Mesoporous Silica and Silica-Niobia Catalysts for the Condensation of Furfural with Acetone.

The integration of metal oxide nanomaterials with mesoporous silica is a promising approach to exploiting the advantages of both types of materials. Traditional synthesis methods typically require multiple steps. This work instead presents a fast, one-step, template-free method for the synthesis of metal oxides homogeneously dispersed within mesoporous silica, including oxides of W, Ti, Nb, Ta, Sn, and Mo.