Crystallization of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Résumé
Complex 3D macrostructured nanoparticles are transformed from amorphous silica into pure polycrystalline α-quartz using catalytic quantities of alkaline earths as devitrificants. Walls as thin as 10 nm could be crystallized without losing the architecture of the particles. The roles of cation size and the mol% of incorporated devitrificant on crystallization behavior are studied, with Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ all producing pure α-quartz under certain conditions.