The radial dependence of the spatial mesostructure of monodisperse mesoporous silica spheres

The pore structure of monodisperse mesostructured silica spheres has been investigated by a combination of X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption isotherms and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The radial dependence of the mesostructure has been obtained by TEM analysis of thin microtomed slices taken at different distance from the particle core. A structural model is proposed based on the TEM observations where bundles of the hexagonally ordered cylindrical channels bend and twist, without any preferred direction, close to the particle core and attain a radially extended structure closer to the particle surface. Thermal calcination results in a pore shrinkage of about 16% and some loss of the long-range mesostructure while radiative disintegration and partial removal of the organic template by an UV/Ozone treatment had a negligible effect on the inorganic framework in terms of pore size or spatial pore arrangement.