Formation and characterization of mesostructured silica nanotubes

The multi-walled mesoporous silica nanotubes are prepared using cetyltrimethylammonium bromize (CTAB) as the surfactant micellar template and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica precursor via a one-step wet chemical approach. The synthesized tubes are found to be double/triple walled and of amorphous nature. Their diameter and the length are about 100 nm to 1 μm and about 0.1–20 μm, respectively. The specific surface area approaches 1,488 m²/g. Based on the transmission electron microscopy analysis, it is inferred that the formation of the double/triple walled silica nanotubes is associated with the lamellar curling mechanism. A striking photoluminescence effect is detected in the mesostructured silica nanotubes. These nanotubes are expected to be a promising material for various applications such as gas storage, catalyst, or catalyst supports.