Deposition of single-crystalline mesoporous silica particles and the in-plane arrangement of mesocages over particles on a cleaved mica surface

Single-crystalline mesoporous silica particles with a 3D-hexagonal mesostructure were deposited hydrothermally on a freshly cleaved mica surface, and the controlled in-plane arrangement of mesocages over particles was achieved. The in-plane arrangement of mesocages of formed particles with a decaoctahedral-like shape reflected the surface structure of mica. The characterization results of mesostructured silica particles prepared at the early formation stages suggest that silica particles containing surfactants are initially deposited and that the mesostructure subsequently transformed from a disordered to an ordered one inside each silica particle.