Control the Morphologies and the Pore Architectures of Mesoporous Silicas through a Dual-Templating Approach

Mesoporous silica nanospheres were prepared using a chiral cationic low-molecular-weight amphiphile and organic solvents such as toluene, cyclohexane, and tetrachlorocarbon through a dual-templating approach. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques have been used to characterize the mesoporous silicas. The volume ratio of toluene to water plays an important role in controlling the morphologies and the pore architectures of the mesoporous silicas. It was also found that mesoporous silica nanoflakes can be prepared by adding tetrahydrofuran to the reaction mixtures.