Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
Porous solids were obtained from self-assembled deposits of silica nanoparticles used as templates to form 3-D porous membranes. The effect of the solvent chemistry on the morphology of the deposits was investigated. The parameters of interest are surface tension and ionic strength of the solvent, due to electrostatic and capillary interactions. Deposits of nanoparticles of different sizes were obtained for a variety of conditions. The deposits were imaged using SEM and showed distinctive structures for each of the solvent chemistries. The phenomenon is consistent with the DVLO theory and calculations of capillary interaction energy.