Morphology-controlled synthesis of mesoporous silica with co-template of surfactant P123 and ionic liquid [Dmim]Cl

Mesoporous silicas with different morphologies have attracted great interest in the fields of catalysis, separation and so on. In this study, silica hollow tubes with ordered mesopores were synthesized via a novel sol-gel method with an ionic liquid 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (Dmim]Cl) and a nonionic surfactant P123 (PEO₂₀PPO₇₀PEO₂₀) as the co-template. Comparatively, silica hollow spheres with disordered mesopores were synthesized with only Dmim]Cl as the template. The template dosage is the key factor in controlling the morphology. The micelles assembly mechanism based on hydrogen bonding interactions is proposed to be responsible for the formation of the final silica morphology and mesostructure.