Emerging compositions in functional mesoporous materials

Functional mesoporous materials have attracted immense attention in a variety of fields since their first advent in 1990s due to their excellent characteristics, such as unique porous configurations, uniform and adjustable pore size and large specific surface area. Great research progress has been made in the past decade in enriching assembly methodologies, cultivating versatile mesoporous materials with different functionalities as well as exploring pristine applications. A comprehensive and updated overview is very necessary in view of the escalating advancements in this field. In this review, we present a comprehensive and systematic review to summarize the recent progress of mesoporous materials, including the captivating properties, significant milestones, synthetic methods, mesostructural control, current compositions as well as the potential in cutting-edge applications. Notably, we put particular emphasis on introducing recent breakthroughs in constructing novel mesoporous components and underlying assembly chemistries. The advantages and shortcomings of functional mesoporous materials in applications like catalysis, energy, adsorption, sensing, and separation are also described. Finally, this review will prospect the challenges and possible development of mesoporous materials to provide inspirations for ambitious future in the next generation.