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This research pioneers the application of microwave irradiation as an innovative strategy for one-pot synthesis and surfactant elimination (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide—CTAB) from MCM-41, introducing a rapid and efficient methodology. MCM-41 silica is widely utilized in various applications due to its unique textural and structural properties. Nonetheless, the presence of residual surfactants after synthesis poses a challenge to its effective application. MCM-41 synthesis, conducted in a microwave reactor at 60 °C, provided a result within 0.5 to 1 h. Comprehensive analyses of structural, chemical, morphological, and surface characteristics were undertaken, with a focus on the impact of synthesis time on these properties. Surfactant extraction involved the use of ethanol as a solvent at 120 °C for 6 min within the microwave reactor. The acquired particles, coupled with the properties of textural and structural features, affirmed the efficacy of the synthesis process, resulting in the synthesis of MCM-41 within 36 min. This study presents the first instance of one-pot synthesis and surfactant removal from MCM-41 using a microwave reactor. The proposed method not only addresses the surfactant removal challenge, but also substantially accelerates the synthesis process, thereby enhancing the potential for MCM-41’s application in diverse fields.

As in a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces put together place before us the drama of the proliferation of new conflicts. Such are the times of today when people try to justify war on the grounds of belonging to different and incompatible cultures. Hence, there is an urgent need for a revival of intercultural dialogue and adequate education to foster it. Aware of the current challenge to peace, the two authors, who come from different geographical areas and cultures, seek through their research to highlight the educational value of Chiara Lubich’s charism, her work and that of the Focolare Movement she founded. To this end, they make use of the hermeneutic method of “text” analysis, understood as everything the person said, did and wrote. For this, they focus on what, with respect to the epistemology of education, consists in the real innovation, namely: the Lubich synoran, the Golden Rule as the axiological foundation of intercultural dialogue education, the Art of Loving as a method and the Cube of Peace as a teaching tool.