Lyotropic liquid crystalline route for the synthesis of mesoporous silica

ABSTRACT

Mesoporous silica has been synthesized by gamma-irradiation using a non-ionic surfactant as template in the cubic and hexagonal lyotropic phases. The mesopores obtained in the two phases have different diameters, cubic phase silica being with the smaller pore size of the order of 3-4 nm whereas the hexagonal phase silica is giving large mesopores of value around 15 nm. The wall size differ in the two templated phases as well, cubic phase is with a small thickness of the order of 5.0 nm while the hexagonal silica exhibits a wall thickness of 15 nm under transmission electron microscopy [TEM] approximately. Both these cubic and hexagonal phases were further characterized by small angle X-ray scattering [SAXS], polarizing microscopy and rheometry. Radiation dose and templated phase are both playing effective role in the synthesis of mesoporous silica