Cooperative Formation of Inorganic-Organic Interfaces in the Synthesis of Silicate Mesostructures

A model is presented to explain the formation and morphologies of surfactant-silicate mesostructures. Three processes are identified: multidentate binding of silicate oligomers to the cationic surfactant, preferential silicate polymerization in the interface region, and charge density matching between the surfactant and the silicate. The model explains present experimental data, including the transformation between lamellar and hexagonal...