A tale of two mechanisms: comparing mesostructure formation in cationic and non-ionic surfactant-templated silicas

Abstract The formation of surfactant templated silica films at the air-solution interface has been investigated in situ using a number of time-resolved surface-sensitive and bulk sensitive techniques. Results from templating solutions prepared using a non-ionic surfactant (C 16 EO 8 ) are compared to those obtained when a cationic surfactant (CTAB) is used. In both cases specific solution phase interactions drive mesostructure organisation, in the precipitates formed in the subphase and in the thin films at the solution surface, however the templating interaction between silica and surfactant appears to occur differently in each case.