Abstract
Han et al. [(2020), IUCrJ, 7, 228-237] using advanced electron microscopy and crystallographic modelling rationalise the microstructure of twinning defects in order to visualize mesophase transitions and surface properties of G and D bicontinuous cubic mesostructured silica. This work furthers our understanding of how these phases originate in many natural and synthetic systems.
Highlights
The approach of Han et al relies on a detailed study by state-of-the-art high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron crystallography of bicontinuous mesoporous silica crystals, which enable the relevant bicontinuous mesophase to be frozen in a stable silica replica of the structure
Han et al describe how the formation of Gtwin boundaries in the {211} plane may be related to structural transformations between hexagonal and lamellar phases
The authors treat the D-twin as a stacking fault, which is neatly used to postulate potential stacking orders and new surface and channel motives that may arise through twinning defects in bicontinuous minimal surfaces
Summary
The approach of Han et al relies on a detailed study by state-of-the-art high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron crystallography of bicontinuous mesoporous silica crystals, which enable the relevant bicontinuous mesophase to be frozen in a stable silica replica of the structure. The mesoporous crystals were prepared to produce particles rich in contact reflection twin defects, possessing a twin boundary plane, which separates the two identical crystalline domains (Fig. 1).
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