Control of mesoporous silica nanostructures and pore-architectures using a thickener and a gelator

A chiral cationic thickener l-ValPyBr, which was able to enhance the viscosity of water and form loosely physical gel in mixtures of water and alcohols, was synthesized. Sol-gel polymerization of TEOS was carried out in mixtures of water and alcohols under basic conditions using the self-assemblies of l-ValPyBr as template. The left-handed twisted mesoporous silica nanoribbons, which were constructed by nanotubes in monolayer, were obtained, and they tended to self-assemble into bundle structure. Stirring under the preparation process played an important role in the formation of this bundle structure. The obtained silica nanoribbons were uniform in width, thickness, and helical pitch without combining amorphous particles. The helical pitch and pore size of the mesoporous silica nanoribbons sensitively depended on the volume ratio of alcohols to water in the reaction mixtures. With increasing volume ratio of alcohols to water in the reaction mixture, the morphologies of the obtained silica changed from left-handed twisted ribbon to coiled ribbon, then to tubular structure. A compound l-ValPyPF6, structurally related to thickener l-ValPyBr, was able to form physical gel in ethanol, THF, acetonitrile, and the mixtures of ethanol and water. Left-handed multiple helical mesoporous silica nanofibers were prepared by using the self-assemblies of l-ValPyPF6 as template in mixtures of water and alcohols under basic conditions. By controlling both the volume ratio of ethanol to water and the weight ratio of l-ValPyPF6 to TEOS, two- or three-dimensional pore-architecture constructed by porous chiral nanotubes was obtained.