Morphokinetics: Growth of Mesoporous Silica Curved Shapes

Abstract

The nucleation and growth of mesoporous silica fibers and gyroids was the focus of this kinetic study. The authors obtained images of the smallest objects implicated in the creation of these shapes by tapping-mode atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Dynamic light scattering provided temporal information on the size evolution of the growth objects. It is shown that increasing pH correlates with slower nucleation and a shape transition from fibers to gyroids. This knowledge is essential to further advancement of the synthesis of mesoporous materials with controlled morphologies.