Synthesis MethodsThere are several chemical methods used for synthesizing mesoporous silicon dioxide, with sol-gel processing being the most common. In a typical sol-gel reaction, silica precursors like tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) are reacted with surfactants like cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in an acidic or basic environment. The surfactant molecules spontaneously assemble into...