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Preparation of Macroporous Epitaxial Quartz Films on Silicon by Chemical Solution Deposition
Published on: December 21, 2015
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A general method for growing large area mesoporous silica thin films on flat substrates with perpendicular
Kun-Che Kao1, Cheng-Han Lin1, Tzu-Ying Chen1
1†Department of Chemistry and Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|March 11, 2015
Summary
A novel oil-induced co-assembly method creates robust mesoporous silica thin films with vertical nanochannels. This versatile technique controls film thickness and pore size on diverse substrates for advanced material applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Mesoporous silica thin films are crucial for applications like catalysis and separations.
- Achieving controlled vertical mesochannels in these films remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new synthetic approach for growing mesoporous silica thin films with vertical mesochannels.
- To investigate the roles of oil in the co-assembly process and the robustness of the method.
Main Methods:
- Oil-induced co-assembly of silica precursors (TEOS, fumed silica, zeolite seed) with a surfactant (CTAB) in an ammonia solution.
- Characterization using grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
Main Results:
- Formation of mesoporous silica thin films with controlled thickness (20-100 nm) and vertical mesochannels.
- Oil (decane) acted as a pore expansion agent (up to 5.7 nm) and induced vertical micelle-silica phases.
- The process demonstrated robustness across various substrates, silica precursors, and oils.
Conclusions:
- The oil-induced co-assembly is a versatile and robust method for fabricating vertical mesoporous silica thin films.
- The mechanism involves confined synthesis of surfactant-silicate between oil layers, enabling controlled nanochannel formation.
