Preparation of frustule-like 1,2-ethylene-silica nanospheres through a chiral amphiphile/organic solvent dual-templating approach

Hollow silica nanospheres with mesopores in the walls have been widely studied because of their potential applications in catalysis and drug release. Hollow organosilica nanospheres also attracted much attention because of their tunable wall backbones and wider applications. Herein, frustule-like 1,2-ethylene-silicas were obtained using a chiral amphiphile, CHCl3, and a dual-templating approach. The morphologies and pore architectures of the 1,2-ethylene-silicas are tunable by changing the amount of CHCl3 in the reaction mixture. With the addition of CHCl3 in the reaction mixtures, hollow 1,2-ethylene-silica nanospheres with opened mesopores in the walls were feasible. Moreover, 1,2-ethylene-silicas with mesopores on the surfaces and coiled pore channels within the walls were obtained using the chiral amphiphile in a single-templating approach. These 1,2-ethylene-silicas were characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2 sorptions.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Frustule-like 1,2-ethylene-silicas were prepared through a dual-templating approach. ► The morphologies and pore architectures of the 1,2-ethylene-silicas are tunable. ► Mesoporous 1,2-ethylene-silica nanotubes were also prepared.