Bio-inspired synthesis of silica ribbons with through-holes

• Silica ribbons with through-holes were synthesized.
• The morphology of the products was controlled by adjusting the synthesis conditions.
• The preformed crystals of sodium tartrate were the hard templates of silica deposition.
• The formation process of such structures was investigated.

This paper presents a facile method for the preparation of silica ribbons with through-holes (SRTHs) in the presence of l-(+)-tartaric acid, SDBS and NaSCN. The as-prepared and calcined SRTHs are characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen physisorption analysis. The FESEM and TEM analyses demonstrate that the SRTH structures with rough surfaces are constituted by small spherical particles, and the appearance of through-holes is due to the limited assembly of these nanoparticles. The formation mechanism of SRTHs is systematically discussed based on the characterization results. In the synthetic process, the preformed needle-like crystals of sodium tartrate can act as the hard template of ribbon-like silica deposition. With the help of NaSCN, the adsorption of anionic surfactant (SDBS) on the surfaces of tartrate needles is considered to be important for the formation of through-hole structures. And the time-dependent experiments exhibit the formation process from silica particles to SRTH structures.

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