Mesoporous materials from leached calcium silicates with hollow structure

Mesoporous materials with hollow structures were obtained from leached calcium silicate as silica source. The material with wormhole pores was synthesized using hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride as a surfactant in basic condition. The material with three-dimensional (3D) cage pores like MCM-48 was obtained using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide in basic condition with ethanol as an additive. Both materials have not only regular mesopores but also macropores due to their hollow morphologies. The succession of local dissolution and deposition, with an insoluble part playing as a substrate for precipitation, produced the mesoporous materials which resemble the morphology of the silica source.