1. Summary

The oldest method for synthesizing mesoporous silicas involves the sol-gel process in a basic medium (figure 1 ), by polycondensation hydrolysis of a silica precursor (most often tetraethoxysilane) in the presence of a surfactant. The surfactant is of the cationic type (CTAB), which structures the silica formation by ionic interactions between negatively charged silicates and positively charged ammonium, with the formation of supramolecular assemblies.

Micellization...