The Role of Surfactants and Amphiphiles in the Synthesis of Porous Inorganic Solids

Reactions and Synthesis in Surfactant Systems, ed. by J. Texter, Marcel Dekker: NY, scheduled publication date: 2000

This chapter reviews syntheses of porous inorganic solids, in which surfactants are involved either as space-fillers, templates, or structure directors. Silicate and nonsilicate structures are discussed. Synthesis parameters that permit control of the mesostructures on a nanometer-scale, as well as of the product morphology on a larger scale are described, together with proposed mechanisms of formation for the various products. The understanding of the subtle interactions between the organic and inorganic components has reached a level where product structures can be designed on multiple length scales.