Electron-tomography determination of the packing structure of macroporous ordered siliceous foams assembled from vesicles.
The packing structures of macroporous ordered siliceous foams (MOSFs) are systematically investigated by using a 3D electron tomography technique and the nanostructural characteristics for layered MOSFs are resolved. MOSF materials adopt an ordered 2D hexagonal arrangement in single-layered areas, regular honeycomb patterns in double-layered samples, and polyhedric cells similar to a Weaire-Phelan structure in multilayered areas, all following the principle of minimizing surface area, which is well understood in soap foams at the macroscopic scale. In surfactant-templated materials, liquid-crystal templating is generally applied, but here it is revealed that the surface-area-minimization principle can also be applied, which facilitates the design and synthesis of novel macroporous materials using surfactant molecules as templates.
Yuan
Pei
P
Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
Zhou
Xufeng
X
Wang
Hongning
H
Liu
Nian
N
Hu
Yifan
Y
Auchterlonie
Graeme J
GJ
Drennan
John
J
Yao
Xiangdong
X
Lu
Gao Qing Max
GQ
Zou
Jin
J
Yu
Chengzhong
C
D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D012822:Silicon Dioxide