INORGANIC NANOSTRUCTURES FROM LYOTROPIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL PHASES

Lyotropic liquid crystalline phases are exploited as templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanostructures. In this approach the aggregate s of non-ionic amphiphiles in water function as confining media, i.e. the polymerisation of a water-soluble precursor lakes place in their a queous domains. This approach to nanostructure design has considerable advantages over previous routes towards mesoporous ceramic oxides. (i ) The nanostructure of the solid can be predicted a priori, (ii) this approach allows the use of non-ionic surfactants as templates and (iii ) the progress of the formation can be monitored by various analytical techniques. The approach is tolerant to the introduction of metals in to the silica framework, as is demonstrated using aluminium silicate a s a representative example. The synthesis and a new way of monitoring the temporal evolution of the inorganic nanostructure using deuterium NMR spectroscopy are described. The results show that the lyotropic li quid crystal phase acts as a template. Further, a novel approach to st udying sorption properties allows a comparison with other meso- and mi croporous materials.