Mechanisms and Intermediates in the True Liquid Crystal Templating Synthesis of Mesoporous Silica Materials

Mesoporous silica materials (MSMs) produced by true liquid crystal templating (TLCT) are often considered as direct inverted replicas of the initial lyotropic (LLC) phase. However, predictive design tailor-made MSMs requires full knowledge TLCT process, which is still incomplete. Here, we tackle this issue monitoring structural evolution during process small-angle X-ray scattering, showing that after addition source reaction mixture first isotropic and then an intermediary phase appears, key to success namely formation ordered MSMs. We analyze structure dynamics present a simple theoretical model, allows us connect parameters LLC MSM. These results provide enhanced understanding important step toward predictable synthesis new in future.