Facile synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with controlled morphologies using water–acetone media

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with controlled morphologies including nanococoons, nanorods and nanospheres have been synthesized in water–acetone media at room temperature using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the template. The obtained nanoparticles generally show hexagonal-like mesoporous structures with average pore size ranging from 2.7 to 3.3 nm and surface area from 806 to 1055 m2/g, respectively. It was found that the changes in water-to-acetone molar ratios have a dramatic impact on the morphologies of the mesoporous silica with different surface roughness, probably due to the solvent influence on the rate of the hydrolysis of tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) and the polymerization of inorganic species. Interestingly, the morphology of the mesoporous silica products can be controlled in shape from nanococoons to nanorods to nanospheres just by decreasing the water-to-acetone molar ratio from 75 to 30 to 15, respectively. From transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, it was observed that mesoporous parallel channels run along the short axis in some areas in the nanorods, whereas the radially arranged mesopore channels are present in the nanospheres. Additionally, hydrothermal treatment leads to rougher surfaces while retaining the morphologies and nanostructures of these mesoporous silicas.

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