Abstract
The recently discovered mesoporous aluminosilicate MCM-41 consists of hexagonal arrays of nanometer-sized cylindrical pores. It is shown that this material can be synthesized by cooperative condensation of silicate and cylindrical cationic micelles. Careful control of the surfactant-water content and the rate of condensation of silica at high alkalinity resulted in hollow tubules 0.3 to 3 micrometers in diameter. The wall of the tubules consisted of coaxial cylindrical pores, nanometers in size, that are characteristic of those of MCM-41. The formation of this higher order structure may take place through a liquid crystal phase transformation mechanism involving an anisotropic membrane-to-tubule phase change. The hierarchical organization of this 'tubules-within-a-tubule' particle texture is similar to that of the frustules of marine diatoms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 765-768 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Science |
| Volume | 273 |
| Issue number | 5276 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General
