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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
A novel synthesis route for mesostructured silica films is reported. Nano-phase transition from lamellar phase of surfactant to hexagonal phase of silica-surfactant nanocomposite was found under vapor infiltration. Vapor infiltration was performed using HCl as catalyst source and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as framework source. Highly ordered mesostructured silica films are obtained using alkyltrimethylammonium bromide CnTAB (the carbon number in the alkyl chain; n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) as templating agent. The d values of the mesostructured silica films increase with increasing the length of the alkyl chain and are controllable by the synthetic temperature. The vapor infiltration synthesis is a simpler process compared to conventional sol-gel techniques and attractive for mass production of a variety of organic-inorganic composite materials and inorganic porous materials. This novel synthetic method provides opportunities for the creation of new materials technologies.