These materials are typically synthesized using a process known as soft templating or hard templating. In soft templating, surfactants or block copolymers are used as templates around which the mesoporous structure forms. Once the structure is established, the template is removed through calcination or solvent extraction, leaving behind the mesoporous framework. Hard templating involves the use of solid templates, such as silica nanoparticles, which are later removed to create the porous structure.
