Handedness inversion in preparing mesoporous silica nanoribbons

Abstract

A new chiral cationic amphiphile has been synthesized. Sol–gel transcriptionswere carried out to control mesoporous silica nanostructures using the organicself-assemblies of this amphiphile as templates. Left-handed coiled mesoporoussilica nanoribbons were obtained in the mixture of 1-propanol and 2.5 wt%NH3 aq. at theratio of 2:8 and 0 °C. However, right-handed coiled mesoporous silica nanoribbons were prepared in 2.5 wt%NH3 aq. at25 °C. The organization of the low-molecular-weight gelators plays an important role in thishandedness inversion.