In Situ Observation of the Genesis of Mesoporous Silica SBA-15: Dynamics on Length Scales from 1 nm to 1 μm

We report on the mechanism of growth of mesoporous silica (SBA-15, plane group p6m). In situ studies of the formation using ultrasmall angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) covering length scales from 5 to 10 000 Å, complemented with UV−vis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), provide unique data on particle growth coupled with information regarding the progression of the mesostructure formation and the micellar evolution.