Biomimetic morphogenesis of micropottery: helical coiling of mesostructured silica nanofibers

Abstract

Biomimetic morphogenesis of sophisticated mesostructured silica micropottery with a novel 3D hierarchically ordered structure and diverse morphologies was realized by hydrolyzing tetraethylsiloxane (TEOS) in concentrated HNO₃ solutions containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). It was proposed that the unique micropottery was self-organized by helical coiling of hexagonally ordered mesostructured silica nanofibers with the assistance of the NO₃⁻ counterion, which is amazingly reminiscent of the manufacture of pottery vessels by wheel shaping in ancient Oriental Asia. The observed self-organization of the mesostructured silica micropottery may open new avenues towards the micro-fabrication of advanced materials with hierarchical 3D architectures.