Fluorinated-surfactant-templated synthesis of hollow silica particles with a single layer of mesopores in their shells

A new type of vesicle-like hollow silica with ordered mesoporous single-walled shells, which is prepared by co-assembly of silica with a fluorinated surfactant template, was reported. Three samples were prepared with the same composition using 1H, 1H, 2H-perfluorodecylpyridinium chloride as the surfactant template, but with different stirring rates. A high magnification TEM image clearly showed that the elongated particles have mesoporous shells. As the shearing rate during synthesis increased, the silica-surfactant aggregates merged to form elongated multi-chambered particles with mesoporous shells.