Facile direct synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles within lyotropic liquid crystals: towards organized hybrid materials

Here we report the use of cubic and hexagonal phases of lyotropic liquid crystals as templates for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The templating effect of the lyotropic phases resulted in the formation of isotropic nanoparticles, whose size and assembly were dictated by the geometry of hydrophobic PPO cores and the nature of the phase.