Synthesis of disordered mesoporous silica loaded with ultrasmall-sized CuO nanoparticles based on an alkali-free strategy and its excellent catalytic performance in the reduction of organic dye

Mesoporous silica loaded with ultrasmall sized and highly dispersed CuO nanoparticles was synthesized based on an alkali-free strategy. The obtained silica material has excellent catalytic performance on reduction MB dye in the presence of NaBH 4 as reductant.