Formation mechanism of PMO with rope- and gyroid-based morphologies via close packing of secondary building units

Periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMO) with a diversity of morphologies based on rope and gyroid shapes have been synthesized in one reaction batch. From the XRD pattern and TEM image, PMO with hexagonal symmetry was identified. Morphological investigations were carried out by SEM and TEM imaging. The generation of various morphologies could be interpreted partly in terms of the degree of curvature and the accretion type induced by various topological defects. The formation mechanism of PMO via the side-to-side close packing of platelet-, stick-, pin-, syringe-, and bullet-like particles as secondary building units was suggested.