Influence of System Composition on Mesoporous Silica Materials using Lamellar Liquid Crystals as Templates

A novel and effective method for synthesis of mesoporous silica is reported in this paper. The method was based on the use of the tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursor and the layered liquid crystals (LCs) as templates formed by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The range of the LCs was determined by exploring the phase behavior of the system with different ratios and concentrations of CTAB and SDS. The effects of the ratio of CTAB/SDS and the ratio of H2O and TEOS (defined as R) on the properties of mesoporous materials were studied. The results indicated that the specific surface area of mesoporous silica increased initially and then decreased with the increase of both R value and CTAB in the positive region. SEM photos showed that the synthesized mesoporous silica had a distinct lamellar structure.